Comparing the Efficacy of Temperature-Controlled Radiofrequency Tonsil Ablation versus CO2-Laser Cryptolysis in the Treatment of Halitosis

Introduction: halitosis and foreign body sensation are two common and disturbing symptoms of chronic caseous tonsillitis (cct). the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of temperature-controlled radiofrequency (tc-rf) tonsil ablation with co2-laser cryptolysis (co2-lc) in the treatment of patients with halitosis caused by cct. materials and methods: sixty-two patients who suffered from halitosis and/or foreign body sensation due to cct were enrolled in the present randomized clinical trial, and were randomly assigned into two groups. group a underwent tc-rf tonsil ablation and group b received co2-lc. the severity of symptoms including halitosis and foreign body sensation was reported 7 days, 1 month, and 6 months after the procedure. patient pain levels and amount of bleeding were evaluated as safety outcome measures. pain levels were evaluated during the intervention, and at day 1, 3, and 7 following the procedure using a visual analog scale (vas). results: mean rank of pain score in the rf tonsil ablation group was found to be higher than in the co2-lc group at all measured timepoints following the procedure. the amount of bleeding in the lc group was found to be significantly less than in the rf group (p<0.05). no significant difference was found between the groups regarding duration of procedure (p=0.157). conclusion: both procedures were found to be effective and safe in the treatment of ct-associated halitosis. however, lc showed better results based on lower pain levels, lower incidence of bleeding, and faster progression to a routine diet.