Queiroga Raquel Porto, Garcez Aguinaldo Silva, Martins Gabriel da Silva
Faculdade São Leopoldo Mandic, Campinas, Brazil.
Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Brazil.
Lasers Med Sci. 2025 Apr 17;40(1):199. doi: 10.1007/s10103-025-04435-6.
Photobiomodulation and laser acupuncture are pain management treatments, offering safe, non-invasive options for patients seeking alternatives to conventional treatments. Therefore, the aim of this research is to evaluate the effects of low-level laser therapy at acupuncture points on pain mechanisms caused by orthodontic separators. For the study, 162 healthy adult volunteers over the age of 18 were selected. Orthodontic separators were installed to stimulate pain. The volunteers were divided into three groups: Group 1 received diode laser (808 nm, 100 mW) at acupuncture points for 40 s (4 J energy), Group 2 received diode laser (808 nm, 100 mW) on molars with orthodontic separators for 40 s (4 J energy), and Group 3 received a placebo at acupuncture points. The acupuncture points used were: LI4 (Hegu), EX2 (Yintang), LI6 (Pianli), LI11 (Quchi), and LU7 (Lieque). A modified Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to assess pain levels. To evaluate differences in pain intensity between groups and over time, the Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant difference in pain intensity between groups over time (p < 0.001). No significant difference in pain perception was observed between genders (p = 0.943). The difference between the groups that received laser therapy at acupuncture points and local points was not statistically significant (p = 0.272). It can be concluded that laser therapy at acupuncture points yields results similar to laser therapy for pain induced by the installation of orthodontic separators, with both being more effective than placebo treatment.
光生物调节和激光针灸是疼痛管理治疗方法，为寻求传统治疗替代方案的患者提供了安全、无创的选择。因此，本研究的目的是评估在穴位进行低强度激光治疗对正畸分离器引起的疼痛机制的影响。在该研究中，选取了162名年龄超过18岁的健康成年志愿者。安装正畸分离器以引发疼痛。志愿者被分为三组：第一组在穴位接受二极管激光（808纳米，100毫瓦）照射40秒（能量4焦耳），第二组在佩戴正畸分离器的磨牙上接受二极管激光（808纳米，100毫瓦）照射40秒（能量4焦耳），第三组在穴位接受安慰剂治疗。所使用的穴位为：LI4（合谷）、EX2（印堂）、LI6（偏历）、LI11（曲池）和LU7（列缺）。采用改良视觉模拟量表（VAS）评估疼痛程度。为了评估组间和不同时间点疼痛强度的差异，使用了弗里德曼检验和克鲁斯卡尔 - 沃利斯检验。统计分析证实，随着时间推移，组间疼痛强度存在显著差异（p < 0.001）。未观察到性别之间在疼痛感知上有显著差异（p = 0.943）。在穴位接受激光治疗的组与在局部点接受激光治疗的组之间的差异无统计学意义（p = 0.272）。可以得出结论，穴位激光治疗产生的效果与正畸分离器安装引起的疼痛的激光治疗效果相似，两者均比安慰剂治疗更有效。
