Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy and Hyaluronic Acid After Free Gingival Graft

The goal of this randomized clinical trial was to learn whether low-level laser therapy or hyaluronic acid application improves healing after free gingival graft surgery in adults with insufficient keratinized gingival tissue in the mandibular lower teeth region. The main questions it aimed to answer were: * Do low-level laser therapy and hyaluronic acid application reduce shrinkage of the gingival graft? * Do these treatments reduce postoperative pain and pain medication use and improve wound healing, clinical outcomes, appearance, and oral health-related quality of life? Researchers compared three groups: free gingival graft surgery alone, free gingival graft surgery with low-level laser therapy and free gingival graft surgery with hyaluronic acid application. Participants underwent free gingival graft surgery and were followed for six months. During follow-up, researchers measured graft size and shrinkage, periodontal clinical measurements, pain at the donor and recipient sites, pain medication use, wound healing, esthetic outcomes, and oral health-related quality of life.

Inclusion Criteria: * Voluntary participation and provision of written informed consent * Systemically healthy adults aged 18 years or older * Non-smokers * No known drug allergies * Not pregnant or breastfeeding * Presence of Cairo RT1 or RT2 gingival recession in the mandibular anterior region * Keratinized tissue width of less than 2 mm at the planned grafting site * Plaque Score below 20% and Bleeding on Probing score below 20% * Vital teeth in the surgical area Exclusion Criteria: * Current use of medications that may interfere with wound healing or are contraindicated for surgical procedures * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Ongoing orthodontic treatment in the affected region * History of previous periodontal surgery in the study area * Presence of active periodontal disease * Probing pocket depth greater than 3 mm in the involved teeth