Is laser treatment effective for patients with periodontal disease?

INTERVENTION: Using a split‐mouth design, two quadrants (one quadrant from each jaw) were randomly allocated to either the test or control group. The quadrants in the test group received Er:YAG laser (ERL) plus scaling and root planing (SRP) treatment, while the quadrants in the control group received SRP only. CONDITION: Moderate or severe chronic periodontitis ; Digestive System ; Periodontal disease (periodontitis) PRIMARY OUTCOME: Periodontal probing was used to measure the following at the baseline, after 3 months and after 6 months:; 1. Probing depth (PD); 2. Clinical attachment level (CAL) SECONDARY OUTCOME: The following were measured at the baseline, after 3 months and after 6 months:; 1. Bleeding index (BI) assessed through periodontal probing; 2. Plaque index (PLI) assessed by an examiner using a scale of 0 to 3 with the following definitions: ; ‐ 0: No plaque; ‐ 1: Cannot see plaque but plaque can be detected with probe; ‐ 2: Moderate plaque can be seen; ‐ 3: Lots of plaque can be seen INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Aged 35‐70 years 2. Minimum of 16 teeth (4 per quadrant) 3. At least one site with probing depths (PD) =4 mm in each quadrant, with bleeding on probing 4. Good general health 5. Non‐smoker