Evaluation of the effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser application on peri‐implant crevicular fluid receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B ligand and osteoprotegerin levels in the non‐surgical treatment of peri‐implantitis: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the effect of erbium, chromium doped:yttrium,scandium,gallium,garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser application combined with non‐surgical mechanical debridement (MD) on clinical parameters and peri‐implant crevicular fluid receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels in the treatment of peri‐implantitis. Methods A total of 49 patients who underwent non‐surgical treatment of peri‐implantitis were randomly divided into two groups. The control group ( n = 26) received MD alone, while the laser group ( n = 23) received MD+Er,Cr:YSGG. The clinical parameters (bleeding on probing [BoP], gingival index [GI], plaque index [PI], probing depth [PD]), marginal bone loss (MBL), and biochemical parameters (RANKL and OPG) were measured at baseline (T0) and 6 months after treatment (T1). Results There was a statistically significant decrease in all the clinical parameters in both groups at T1 compared to T0 ( p < 0.05). The BoP, PD, MBL, and RANKL reductions were significantly higher in the laser group than in the control group ( p = 0.046, p = 0.014, p = 0.047, p = 0.045, respectively). The OPG levels significantly increased at T1 in the laser group ( p = 0.01). The OPG/RANKL ratio increased significantly in both groups at T1, which favored the laser group ( p = 0.034). Conclusions Although both treatment methods were influential in treating peri‐implantitis, the laser group (MD+Er,Cr:YSGG) yielded more favorable results by reducing clinical inflammation and improving biochemical parameters. Based on these findings, Er,Cr:YSGG laser may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment in this patient group.