The effect of low level laser therapy on pain during dental tooth-cavity preparation in children.

AIM

To evaluate the effect of low level laser therapy on pain during cavity preparation with laser in paediatric dental patients.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The study was carried out on 10 children aged 6 to 9 years old for a total of 20 primary molar teeth. For laser preparation an Er: YAG laser was used. Half of the preparations were treated by low level laser therapy (LLLT) before laser preparation and the remaining half without LLLT (non-LLLT) before laser preparation. All cavities were prepared by ER:YAG laser, restored with light-cured composite resin following the application of acid etching and bonding agent. Children were instructed to rate their pain on the visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 to 5 points. Statistical analyses were performed using Mann Whitney U test.

RESULTS

VAS Median (min-max) scores were 1(0-2) for LLLT and 3(1-4) for the non-LLT treated children. Between LLLT and non- LLLT groups results were statistically significant (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of LLLT before cavity preparation with laser decreased pain in paediatric dental patients.