Purpose: Periodontitis is a typical example of a chronic inflammatory reaction which cannot develop without an associated inflammation, since it is always preceded by gingivitis with marked inflammation. The aim of the paper was to conduct a histological examination of gingiva treated with conventional therapy and low-power laser, and compare the obtained results. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with the diagnosis of chronic periodontitis were examined at the Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine of the Clinic of Dentistry in Nis. In the experimental group, 15 patients were treated with conventional methods (scaling and root planing) followed by therapy with low-level laser, while the control group patients (n = 15) were treated only with scaling and root planing. The gingival biopsy material was examined at the Institute of Pathology of the Faculty of Medicine in Nis. Results: After classic therapy, histological findings of gingivae showed a reduction in the number of inflammatory cells and partial stroma collagenization, while histological findings of gingivae after laser therapy indicated completely regenerated gingival tissue with few inflammatory cells as well as marked collagen tissue homogenization. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that laser therapy as an adjunct procedure in the treatment of periodontitis is very successful in the reduction of gingival tissue inflammation.

Keywords: periodontitis, low-level laser, epithelium, histopathology