Efeito do laser em baixa intensidade sobre a modulação do processo inflamatório pós-cirúrgico: estudo clínico controlado randomizado

Abstract

Pain, swelling and muscle spasm are complications presented by almost all patients after undergoing an oral surgery to remove impacted teeth. Thus, this model has been widely used in order to evaluate the low-level laser therapy (LLLT) effects during the inflammatory process generated by the mentioned procedure. The main purpose of this paper was to evaluate the LLLT modulation in the pain, swelling and muscle spasm reduction deriving from the removal of impacted inferior third molars. Fifty patients who have contacted a Dental Specialty Center in order to remove impacted inferior third molars have met the eligibility criteria and have agreed to participate in the study. Such patients were randomly divided into five groups, taking into account the type of laser therapy applied after the surgeries (intraoral or extraoral irradiation with 660 nm laser; intraoral or extraoral irradiation with 808 nm; and no irradiation). The laser appliance head was positioned in the same anatomical points of all patients; however, it was only turned on in accordance with the determinations of the randomization process (blinding). Two and seven days after the surgery, two blind evaluators measured the patients faces (swelling) and the mouth opening (muscle spasm) and applied two pain scales (VAS and NRS-101) and one questionnaire in order to evaluate of the surgery impact on the patients quality of life. The evaluations made among the group participants showed differences between two experimental periods in most groups, but there was no relevant difference in the evaluations made among the groups as regards the main conclusions and the surgery impact on the patients quality of life.