Asian Journal of Dental Sciences

Background: Physiological gingival melanin hyperpigmentation may be aesthetically concerning, particularly in patients with a prominent smile line. Although diode laser depigmentation offers controlled ablation and haemostasis, postoperative healing and recurrent pigmentation remain relevant clinical considerations. This case report describes laser-assisted gingival depigmentation supplemented with human placental extract (HPE) and photobiomodulation (PBM).

Case Presentation: A 21-year-old systemically healthy woman presented with bilateral physiological melanin hyperpigmentation affecting the maxillary and mandibular anterior gingiva. Following Phase I therapy, depigmentation was performed under local anaesthesia using a 940 nm diode laser at 1 W in continuous mode. The activated fibre tip was moved with light sweeping motions from the mucogingival junction towards the free gingival margin. HPE was then applied topically to the denuded connective tissue, followed by PBM for 5 minutes. Topical HPE gel was prescribed two to three times daily for one week.

Results: Complete re-epithelialisation was observed by postoperative day 7, with satisfactory aesthetic healing and no reported postoperative complications. The treated sites remained clinically stable without visible recurrent pigmentation during the one-year follow-up.

Conclusion: In this case, the combined protocol was associated with rapid soft-tissue healing and maintenance of the aesthetic result for one year. Because the intervention combined laser treatment, HPE, and PBM in a single patient, controlled clinical studies are required to clarify the contribution of each component and confirm the reproducibility of the outcome.