Comparative evaluation of low-level laser and CO₂ laser in treatment of patients with oral lichen planus.

A comparative evaluation of low-level laser and CO(2) laser therapies was performed, for the treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP). In a randomized open clinical trial, 28 patients with 57 lesions were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received CO(2) laser therapy, the other received low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for 5 sessions every other day. Participants were examined before the treatment, after 2 weeks, and at 1, 2 and 3 months, to assess the changes in sign and symptom scores. Improvements in size of lesions, in pain and clinical response scores were achieved in both groups. After 3 months, clinical response showed 100% and 85% partial to complete improvement in LLLT and CO(2) laser surgery, respectively. This demonstrates a quick and pronounced beneficial effect in controlling symptoms related to OLP. Both methods may be effective in the treatment of OLP, and can be used as alternative therapy alongside standard treatment modalities. The present study showed that LLLT displayed better results than CO(2) laser therapy as alternative or additional therapy, but further investigations in comparison with standard treatment modalities with a prolonged follow-up period will be necessary to confirm the efficacy of laser therapy in the treatment of OLP.