Ceramic soft tissue trimming bur: A new tool for gingival depigmentation.

Objective: Pigmentation of the gingiva plays a negative role in an otherwise acceptable "smile window". In the present world, people are more concerned about their aesthetics. Several techniques have been employed such as scalpel surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemical agents, abrasion and LASER method for the removal of melanin hyper-pigmentation. The present study is aimed at comparing the efficacy of LASER and soft tissue trimmer for gingival depigmentation.

Methods: A randomized split-mouth study was conducted for twenty patients with gingival pigmentation. Dummet Oral Pigmentation Index (DOPI), Gingival Pigmentation Index (GPI) for pigmentation, bleeding factor, wound healing factor, gingival colour and visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain were evaluated for both the groups at baseline, 7th day, 1st month and 6th month.

Results: Intra-group comparison between baseline and 6th month showed highly significant difference for both LASER and bur groups. There was no statistically significant difference found between both the groups at 6th month using gingival pigmentation index.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that LASER and soft tissue trimmer both are comparable in achieving aesthetic satisfaction. Hence, the soft tissue trimmer could also be used for depigmentation as it is very cost effective, readily available and acceptable by the patients.