PERIODONTOLOGY. Effect of diode laser on oral pigmentation, pain, and wound healing in patients with gingival hyperpigmentation: a meta-analysis.

This article presents a meta-analysis evaluating the clinical efficacy of diode laser therapy in treating gingival hyperpigmentation (GHP), a condition characterized by excessive melanin deposition in the gums. Analyzing 13 randomized controlled trials with 233 participants, the study found that diode laser treatment significantly reduced oral pigmentation, as measured by the Dummett-Gupta Oral Pigmentation Index (DOPI), and decreased postoperative pain based on visual analog scale (VAS) scores, compared to other treatments. However, diode lasers did not show a significant effect on wound healing, assessed by the Wound Healing Index (WHI), and exhibited considerable heterogeneity and some publication bias in pain outcomes. The authors conclude that diode lasers may offer superior esthetic results and pain relief for GHP but recommend further well-designed, large-scale randomized trials to confirm these findings and clarify their role in wound healing.