Clinical Study of Laser Treatment for Frenectomy of Pediatric Patients

Aim To suggest regarding the timing of oral surgery and laser treatment for frenulum abnormalities in the pediatric population. Materials and methods We investigated the sex, age, frenulum site, reason for consultation, treatment method, and prognosis of 35 patients aged 15 years or younger and who were examined at our hospital for the chief complaint of frenulum abnormality. Results A total of 21 (mean age, 6.0 years) of the 35 patients underwent frenectomy using a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. Of these, 7 patients (mean age, 2.8 years) underwent the procedure with general anesthesia and 14 patients (mean age, 7.6 years) underwent the procedure with local anesthesia. The surgical site was the lingual frenulum in 15 patients and the maxillary labial frenulum in 6 patients. No adverse events were intraoperatively reported in any of the patients, and the procedure was quickly and safely performed. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 4.6 months, and readhesion was noted in one patient (4.8%). The most common reason cited for not undergoing frenectomy in the 14 patients (mean age, 3.4 years) was the young age of the child. Conclusion Retrospective study of pediatric patients with frenulum abnormalities demonstrated the usefulness of the CO2 laser in performing frenectomy and offered suggestions regarding the timing of this procedure. Clinical significance Frenectomy performed using a CO2 laser for pediatric patients is a useful, simple, and safe treatment method. How to cite this article Komori S, Matsumoto K, Matsuo K, Suzuki H, Komori T. Clinical Study of Laser Treatment for Frenectomy of Pediatric Patients. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(3):272-277.