The “sound scientific basis and proven efficacy in order to ensure public safety” is one of the main eligibility requirements of the American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP) Recognition Standards and Procedures.[1] Until such sound scientific foundation for nonsurgical, nonphotodynamic therapy, laser-assisted treatment of chronic periodontitis can be established, including science-based protocols with predictable and reproducible results, one would hope that responsible CERP-certified continuing dental education providers will not promote the laser use that is advised against in the 2 July JADA articles, “Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on the Nonsurgical Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis by Means of Scaling and Root Planing With or Without Adjuncts” (Smiley CJ, Tracy SL, Abt E, et al. JADA. 2015;146[7]:525-535).
References
- American Dental Association Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition. ADA CERP Eligibility Criteria. Accessed October 15, 2015.