Diabetes mellitus (DM) leads to a delay in bone healing. Thus, some therapeutic approaches have been used to accelerate the process of bone repair such as photobiomodulation (PBM). Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of PBM, in different fluences, in bone repair in an experimental model of tibial bone defects in diabetic rats. Sixty-four Wistar rats were submitted to a surgical procedure to perform bone defect and distributed in four groups: diabetic control group (DCG), diabetic laser group 30 J/cm(2) (L30), diabetic laser group 60 J/cm(2) (L60), and diabetic laser group 120 J/cm(2) (L120). A 808 nm Ga-Al-As (DMC Equipment, São Carlos, SP, Brazil) laser, 100 mW; 0.028 cm(2); 3.57 W/cm(2); 30, 60, and 120 J/cm(2); 0.84, 1.68, and 3.36 J; 8, 16, and 33 s was used. Animals were euthanized 15 and 30 days after the surgery. Histological, morphometric, immunohistochemistry, and biomechanical analyses were performed. In the histological and morphometric evaluation, all laser-treated groups showed a better histological pattern and a higher amount of newly formed bone compared to DCG. An intense RUNX2 immunoexpression was observed in the laser-treated groups, 15 days after the surgery. Receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-β ligand (RANK-L) immunohistochemistry analysis showed a significant decrease in the immunoreactivity for L30 and L120, 30 days after surgery. There was no statistical difference in the biomechanical analysis among the groups. In conclusion, PBM, in all fluences used, showed an osteogenic potential in bone healing of diabetic rats.
