Periodontal surgery

LLLT adjunct to periodontal surgery pain and wound healing meta-analysis

Zhao H, Hu J, Zhao L. Lasers in Medical Science. 2021.

Source

A periodontal surgery review found adjunct LLLT improved early postoperative pain control and early palatal wound healing.

Evidence grade

low

Effect direction

positive

Panel relevance

not-panel-replicable

Key findings

  • The review included 13 randomized clinical trials.
  • Pain relief differed at day 3 but not day 7 after surgery.
  • LLLT accelerated early re-epithelialization and palatal donor-site healing after free gingival graft procedures.

Protocol details

WavelengthsNot reported nm
IrradianceNot reported mW/cm2
Fluence5 J/cm2
Session timeNot reported minutes
FrequencyPost-surgical dental protocol-specific
DurationEarly healing phase
Treatment areaPeriodontal surgical sites
Device typeDental low-level laser therapy

Caveats

  • The review suggested low power <= 500 mW and energy density >= 5 J/cm2 might be more appropriate for pain relief.
  • Dental surgery protocols should not be generalized to consumer panels.