Efficacy of Fractional CO 2 Laser for Improvement of Limited Mouth Opening in Systemic Sclerosis

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Background Systemic sclerosis is a multisystem auto-inflammatory disease-causing fibrosis in the skin and internal organs. A frequent complication of systemic sclerosis is the limited mouth opening (LMO), a difficult-to-treat condition with only a few treatment options available. Aims and objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of fractional carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) laser resurfacing in LMO associated with systemic sclerosis. Materials and methods This was a hospital-based prospective study in which diagnosed cases of systemic sclerosis were taken. Patients who had significant LMO and who gave informed consent were included in the study. Fractional CO 2 laser treatment was performed in the perioral area. Patients were assessed at baseline, after three and six sessions, and 3 months after the last session. Assessment was done by measurement of the interincisor distance (IID) using a ruler and calculation of the mouth handicap in systemic sclerosis (MHISS) scale. Results Improvement in IID occurred 3 months after the first session with a mean gain of +5 mm (range 2-7). At 6 months, a mean gain of +8.5 mm (range 7-10) in IID was observed ( P P Conclusion Fractional CO 2 laser forms a safe, effective, and well-tolerated treatment modality for improvement of LMO in systemic sclerosis. Limitations The limitations of this study were less number of patients and no l

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

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