Er:YAG Laser–Assisted Bone Regenerative Therapy for Implant Placement: A Case Series

Yoichi Taniguchi, DDS, PhD/Kosaku Sawada, DDS, PhD/Azusa Yamada, DDS, PhD/Koji Mizutani, DDS, PhD/Walter Meinzer, DDS/Takanori Iwata, DDS, PhD/Yuichi Izumi, DDS, PhD/Akira Aoki, DDS, PhD: In order to achieve favorable ridge preservation (RP) or ridge augmentation (RA) in substantial vertical and/or horizontal bone defects and extraction sockets, a barrier membrane is usually employed. Recently, it was reported that a novel surgical technique for periodontal regenerative surgery applying Er:YAG laser (ErL) irradiation to form blood coagulation on the grafted bone surface, without using a membrane, resulted in sufficient bone regeneration in bone defects. This case series aims to present clinical and radiographic outcomes of ErL-assisted bone regenerative therapy (Er-LBRT), without use of membranes, for RP/RA before or after implant placement. In 10 cases, ErL irradiation was applied (50 mJ/pulse and 20 Hz without water spray in noncontact, defocused mode for approximately 60 seconds) to enhance the blood clot on the entire surface of the grafted bovine bone mineral before suturing. Wound healing was favorable without any postoperative complications such as wound gaping or infection of the grafted material. In all cases, dramatic bone regeneration was observed. After prosthetic treatment, peri-implant tissue and regenerated bone were stable and well-maintained during the follow-up period in each case. This novel technique of Er-LBRT without using a membrane resulted in favorable and stable RP/RA with sufficient bone regeneration for implant therapy.