Effect of soft laser in bone repair after expansion of the midpalatal suture in dogs.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this research was to study the influence of soft laser treatment on the process of bone repair after expansion of the midpalatal suture.

METHODS

The sample for this case-control experimental study was 11 dogs. They were randomly divided into 2 groups, both of which underwent rapid maxillary expansion with a hyrax appliance. The animals in group 1 were also treated with laser therapy. They were killed, and histologic specimens of the palatal suture were prepared. The Student t test was applied for independent data, and the Mann-Whitney test was used for nonparametric data.

RESULTS

A significant difference was observed in the quality of the palatal sutures between the animals in groups 1 and 2. The connective tissues of the sutures in the group 1 animals were similar to the original configurations, with more advanced osteogenesis and fibrogenesis, compared with those of group 2.

CONCLUSIONS

Soft laser appears to influence the behavior of the repair process, contributing to suture reorganization and palatal bone osteogenesis during and after expansion.