Use and Success Rate of Lasers in the Treatment of Gingival Melanin Pigmentation: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The pigmentation of oral soft tissues is predominantly an aesthetic problem because lifestyle, media, and social influences impact people's perception of beauty, which in turn affects their self-esteem as well as their relationships. The melanin pigmentation of the gingiva has become a real concern in the Gulf region, especially for younger people and females, who seek aesthetic solutions to remove the pigmentation. The pigmentation caused by melanin can be removed by surgical blades, diamond burs, chemicals, and lasers, among other methods. A systematic literature review from 2012 to 2022 was performed using databases such as PubMed, Medline, and Sciencedirect. The keywords used were "Diode laser", "Erbium laser", and "Melanin pigmentation". PRISMA flowchart was used to describe the selection process of searched articles. Findings revealed that 6 out of 8 studies listed superior characteristics and treatment outcomes of diode lasers as compared to Erbium lasers. It can be concluded that the diode laser is the better option to treat gingival melanin pigmentation as compared to the Erbium lasers.

The Power of Pink: Transforming Smile Esthetics through Laser-assisted Gingival Depigmentation.

“…Another systematic review was conducted to assess the effect of two distinct laser types: the Diode and Erbium on the treatment of melanin pigmentation in terms of their ability to remove discoloration, pain, bleeding, longevity, and overall patient experience. The findings indicated that diode laser was significantly more effective as compared to Erbium lasers (22). Alasbahi et al compared between the effectiveness of Nd:YAG laser and Diode laser in managing physiologic gingival melanin pigmentation, and concluded that both laser types were effective without any significant difference observed between them (18).…”