Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in management of recurrent herpes labialis: a systematic review

Abstract

Recurrent herpes labialis (RHL) is a highly prevalent viral infection that affects the oro-facial region. Current treatment options have limited efficacy in reducing healing time and recurrence rate of the disease. Recently, low-level laser therapy has been proposed as a potential treatment alternative for the management of RHL with no side effects. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of laser therapy in the management and prevention of RHL. A comprehensive search of Medline/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was carried out to identify published clinical trials comparing laser intervention to active and/or non-active controls for the treatment of RHL. Due to marked heterogeneity of available data, studies were assessed qualitatively, and no statistical analysis was performed. Of the retrieved 227 articles, six clinical trials met the eligibility criteria. The wavelengths, the power output, and energy density ranged between 632.5-870 nm, 5-80 W, and 2.04-48 J/cm, respectively. All included studies found laser to be effective in the management and prevention of RHL, without any side effects. The findings of this review suggest that laser is potentially a safe and effective treatment alternative for the management of RHL. However, due to high variability in study designs and inconsistency in laser parameters among the included studies, more well-designed randomized clinical trials with standardized laser parameters are highly warranted.

Photobiomodulation therapy drives massive epigenetic histone modifications, stem cells mobilization and accelerated epithelial healing

“…PBMT has shown biostimulatory effects, such as faster epithelial cell migration [12] and proliferation [8, 19], which are important events in the wound healing process. Therefore, PBMT appears very useful in the clinic setting as it accelerates the healing process of different oral mucosal disorders, such as oral mucositis, oral lichen planus, recurrent aphthous stomatitis and herpes infection [30–34].…”

Evaluation of Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy

“…Different studies reported the wavelengths between 630 and 980 nm and power of 20 to 300 mW with radiation duration between 10 seconds and 15 minutes respectively for HL treatment. 106 All the researchers reported that LLLT is an effective tool in the management of HL prevention without any side effects.…”

A Comprehensive Overview of Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and the Management of Herpes Labialis

“…Based on the literature, there were no confirmed laser therapy modalities that can fully decimate virus replication and prevent recurrence with 100% success, but clinical trials did show a reduction in the pain and frequency of recurrences in almost all patients suffering from primary and secondary infections of herpes labialis [ 121 ]. A recent review concluded that although low-level laser therapy is superior to most antivirals in RHL therapy, the inconsistent study designs and unparallel clinical parameters hinder robust conclusions and hence, more standardization is warranted [ 122 ]. Another novel method is the transdermal electrical stimulator, especially in patients intolerant to antiviral agents [ 88 ].…”