Adjunctive Low-level Laser Therapy Using 980-nm Diode Laser after Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Abstract
Background and Objective: Extraction of impacted lower third molars is one of the most frequent surgeries of the oral cavity. This operation might be accompanied by inevitable complications, such as pain, swelling, and trismus after surgery. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of low-intensity/power laser therapy on swelling and trismus after impacted mandibular third molar surgery. Materials and Methods: This randomized double-blind clinical trial was performed on 40 patients who required similar unilateral impacted third molars. These patients were randomly divided into two groups of 20, including the control group with no laser application and the test group receiving laser irradiation. In the intervention group, 1 cm of the tissue was irradiated immediately post-operation by 12 j/cm energy using a 980-nm laser setting with continuous wave mode at the output power of 200 MW for 60 s. Radiations were carried out at three regions, including two intraoral sites on the buccal and lingual sides of the operated area and an extraoral area on the joining point of the masseter muscle to the mandible. Inflammation and trismus were assessed by measuring the size of the face and maximum mouth opening on the second and seventh days after surgery. Results: Our findings demonstrated that in the laser group, on the second day post-operation the maximum mouth opening (trismus) was 28±6 and facial swelling was 217.8±12.8. The two groups were not significantly…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 40 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Chaos and quantum thermalization
- The Dalton quantum chemistry program system
- Cord Blood Leptin and Adiponectin as Predictors of Adiposity in Children at 3 Years of Age: A Prospective Cohort Study
- Quantitative metabolomics by H-NMR and LC-MS/MS confirms altered metabolic pathways in diabetes
- Stable adiabatic quantum batteries
- A novel self-lipid antigen targets human T cells against CD1c(+) leukemias
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.