Evaluation of the effect of the application of hyaluronic acid following laser-assisted frenectomy: an examiner-blind, randomized, controlled clinical study

Objective: The effect of the hyaluronic acid (HA) on laser-assisted frenectomy wound healing has not been tested. This controlled, randomized, examiner-blinded clinical study aimed to compare the outcomes of laser-assisted frenectomy with and without an HA-containing gel application. Method and materials: The study included 40 patients aged 18 to 40 years, with high labial frenulum attachment requiring frenectomy. Following laser-assisted frenectomy, HA-gel was applied topically to the wound surface at the day of frenectomy and on days 3, 7, and 14 postoperatively in the test group, and no application was made to the control group. The photographs were taken at the day of frenectomy and on days 3, 7, and 14 postoperatively. A total of 160 images were uploaded to the software. The changes in the area measurements from baseline values were calculated. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate patients' satisfaction. Results: The primary outcome variable was the change in the wound area from baseline to postoperative 3, 7 and 14 days. The area measurements and VAS scores were significantly lower in the test group than in the control group at all postoperative assessment time points (P .001). According to the percentage changes calculated at postoperative assessment points, the highest percentage was found on day 14 in the test group, and the lowest value was identified on day 3 in the control group. Conclusion: HA was observed to be a viable option for decreasing the surface area of the wound and to act as a wound dressing following frenectomy. HA application also increased patient satisfaction postoperatively. Keywords: frenectomy, hyaluronic acid, laser, visual analog scale, wound healing