The effect of soft-laser application on postoperative pain and swelling. A double-blind, crossover study.

The effect of soft-laser application on postoperative pain and swelling was evaluated in a double-blind, crossover study. Twenty-five healthy adults with bilateral identically impacted lower third molars were selected for this study. The teeth were removed in two separate operations. Laser treatment was tested in comparison with placebo laser, with a 40-mW, 830-nm Biophoton laser (Roenvig Dental, Denmark). All surgical procedures and measurements were done by the same surgeon. The following features were statistically analyzed: swelling, trismus, and subjective registration of pain on a visual analog scale. No statistically significant differences were observed in comparison of the experimental side with the placebo side. It may be concluded that soft-laser treatment has no beneficial effect on swelling, trismus, and pain after third molar surgery.