Surgical procedure
OPMD, OPMDs
OPMDS, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION
All subjects were instructed about the causes and consequences of OPMDs including risk factors in connection with the origin of OPMDs, such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, mechanical irritation, or chronic inflammation. Before the surgical procedure, operation areas were disinfected using 0.2% chlorhexidine solution (Chlorhexamed Forte 0.2%, GlaxoSmithKline GmbH, Munich, Germany). Local anesthesia was performed using articaine with adrenalin (Ultracain D-S 1:200,000, Sanofi-Aventis GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany). The surgical procedure was performed by one surgeon (AM). In group 1, the OPMD was destructively ablated to its clinical borders with a narrow seam of clinically healthy tissue using the 445-nm semiconductor laser in continuous wave mode with a power setting 2.0 W in slight non-contact mode until carbonization was seen. The device setting of 2.0 W corresponded to an effective power of 1.72 W at an average working tip angle of 45°. Assuming a Gaussian laser beam profile, the power density was 4280 W/cm