Minimally Invasive Management of Leukoplakia with Diode Laser: A Case Series
Himali Pun
Department of Dentistry, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
Vibha Basavaraj Wodeyar
Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Davangere, Karnataka, India.
Peeyush Shivhare *
Department of Dentistry, Baba Kinaram Autonomous State Medical College, Chandauli (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Ajay Kumar
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Leukoplakia is a potentially malignant disorder affecting the oral cavity. Early detection and prompt treatment are the keys to prevent its malignant transformation. Various treatment modalities have been discussed in multiple literatures, broadly categorized into non-surgical and surgical treatments. Non-surgical treatment includes various chemopreventive agents, while surgical treatment includes excisional surgery, electrocauterization, laser surgery, or cryosurgery. Surgical treatment is always the key to eradicating the leukoplakia patch completely. Laser is known for its various advantages over a traditional scalpel, like minimal bleeding, clear surgical field, less scarring, minimal postoperative pain, etc. Various lasers, such as neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd: YAG), Carbon dioxide (CO2), and erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet lasers (Er: YAG), have been used successfully to manage leukoplakia in previous literature. Here we are presenting three cases of leukoplakia of different sites managed with a minimally invasive procedure of diode laser 980nm based ablation.
Keywords: Oral potentially malignant disorder, leukoplakia, diode laser, laser ablation, laser excision, recurrence, malignant transformation