Influence of superpulsed laser therapy on healing processes following tooth extraction.

OBJECTIVE

This research studied the effects of laser therapy on healing processes following tooth extraction in healthy human subjects, evaluating some inflammation, osteogenesis, and clinical parameters.

BACKGROUND DATA

Alveolar healing following tooth extraction is a complex repair process involving different types of tissues, including epithelium and bone. Therefore, it can be advantageous to use techniques able to influence the healing of all tissues.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Ten healthy human subjects with indications for bilateral tooth extraction entered the split-mouth study. The subject/patient becomes his/her own control, thereby eliminating all individual differences in response to laser treatment. This consisted of: 904-nm laser, 33  W peak power, 30  KHz, 200  ns, average power 200  mW, illuminated area 1 cm(2), 200  mW/cm(2), 15  min, 180  J, 180  J/cm(2). In each patient, one post-extraction site was treated with laser radiation, whereas the other was left untreated as a control. Soft-tissue specimens were removed from the extraction site before tooth extraction (T0) and 7 days after from extraction (T7); expression of inflammatory and osteogenesis parameters was evaluated on these specimens. The clinical parameter "pain" was evaluated for each subject.

RESULTS

Superpulsed laser irradiation prevented the increase of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and induced an insignificant increase in collagen at 7 days after extraction, versus levels on day of extraction; no changes were found in the other parameters examined. Patients reported less pain at the site treated with superpulsed laser irradiation than at the control site.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that superpulsed laser irradiation may be a treatment of choice for patients scheduled for tooth extraction, as it provides clinical efficacy, is safe and well tolerated, and is able to prevent inflammation.