Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of low-level laser therapy on the postoperative healing process

Abstract

[Purpose] This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of intraoral application of low-level laser therapy (660 nm) to control pain, swelling and interincisal opening following the extraction of mandibular third molars. [Subjects and Methods] Ten patients underwent removal of lower third molars using the same surgical protocol and pharmacological approach. In the postoperative period, all patients received four consecutive daily sessions of low-level laser therapy, beginning 24 hours after the surgery. Intraoral applications using the diode laser with 660 nm wavelength in the continuous scan mode were performed covering the entire surgical area, which was divided into four quadrants, each of 1 cm2 area at a distance of 1 cm. The energy applied at each point was 5 J/cm2 during 8 seconds. [Results] The swelling and interincisal opening returned to normal 24 hours after the first low-level laser therapy application (Friedman test). Moreover, the pain intensity was reduced on the third postoperative day, according to the Friedman test. [Conclusion] Low-level laser therapy (660 nm), at the dosimetry used in this study, was effective in reducing postoperative pain and swelling following oral surgery.

Photobiomodulation in Oral Surgery: A Review

“…In all these studies, the third molar was the extracted tooth except in one study conducted on premolar's extraction sockets. 23 PBM effectively reduced post extraction pain as shown in 16 studies 5,6,13,[15][16][17][18][19][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] compared with placebo. In these studies, wavelengths ranged from 650 to 980 nm.…”

“…11,12 A number of studies have demonstrated that PBM has an impact on the management of pain and swelling. 5,[13][14][15][16][17][18] Ferrante reported that PBM is useful for pain reduction after impacted third molar surgery. 19 In an animal study, it has been shown that PBM could reduce pain intensity, inflammation, and immunological reactions; while in human studies some factors including the type of disease, surgery, and laserrelated variables influence the outcome of PBM.…”

Effect of high‐frequency near‐infrared diode laser irradiation on periodontal tissues during experimental tooth movement in rats

“…Low-power laser irradiation has been proposed as a treatment (lowlevel laser therapy; LLLT) to harness the stimulatory effect of light on living tissues. LLLT using a visible light laser with a wavelength of 400-700 nm reportedly promotes wound healing [9,10] and cell proliferation [11,12], relieves pain [13][14][15][16][17], and induces bone formation [18][19][20]. Several reports have indicated that LLLT is suitable for use in orthodontic treatment.…”

Laser Surgery of Soft Tissue in Orthodontics: Review of the Clinical Trials

“…Studies have reported less postoperative pain and discomfort and also reduction in use of analgesics and local anesthetic drugs in laser surgery. [16][17][18] However, there are still some disadvantages in regard to adjunctive laser treatment in orthodontics. Application of laser is limited due to the high cost of laser devices.…”