Efficacy of photobiomodulation in reducing pain and improving the quality of life in patients with idiopathic burning mouth syndrome. A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Burning mouth syndrome is a chronic condition, which is characterised by a burning sensation or pain in the mucosa of the oral cavity. Treatment options include antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, analgesics, hormone replacement therapies and more recently photobiomodulation. This study aims to perform a systematic review with meta-analysis in order to determine the effect of photobiomodulation on pain relief and the oral health-related quality of life associated with this condition. A bibliographical search of the Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus databases was conducted. Only randomised clinical trials were included. Pain and quality of life were calculated as mean difference and pooled at different treatment points (baseline = T0 and final time point = Tf) and laser modality. From a total of 103 records, 7 articles were retrieved for inclusion. PBM group had a greater decrease in pain than control group at Tf with a mean difference = − 2.536 (IC 95% − 3.662 to − 1.410; I2 = 85.33%, p < 0.001). An improvement in oral health-related quality of life was observed in both groups, although this was more significant in the photobiomodulation group mean difference = − 5.148 (IC 95% − 8.576 to − 1.719; I2 = 84.91%, p = 0.003). For the red laser, a greater improvement than infrared was observed, in pain, mean difference = − 2.498 (IC 95% − 3.942 to − 1.053; I2 = 79.93%, p < 0.001), and in quality of life, mean difference = − 8.144 (IC 95% − 12.082 to − 4.206; I2 = 64.22%, p = 0.027). Photobiomodulation, in particular, red laser protocols, resulted in improvement in pain and in quality of life of burning mouth syndrome patients.

Short-Term Effects of Whole-Body Photobiomodulation on Pain, Quality of Life and Psychological Factors in a Population Suffering from Fibromyalgia: A Triple-Blinded Randomised Clinical Trial

“…Ghigiarelliet et al showed short-term effects of whole-body PBM in a sports population, without showing any conclusive change [19]. The effects of local PBM on pain are well known and established [39], and its usefulness has been shown in different conditions such as knee osteoarthritis [40], oral mucositis [41], idiopathic burning mouth syndrome [42], neck disability and chronic neck pain [43], pain and function in tendinopathy [44], myofascial temporomandibular disorder [45], fractures [46], central nervous diseases [47] and even in the microbiome [48]. On the other hand, other studies show that PBM does not decrease pain and disability, specifically in people with non-specific low back pain, although those studies analysed the use of local PBM and not whole-body PBM [49].…”

Eficácia da catuama® e da terapia com laser de baixa potência no tratamento da síndrome da ardência bucal: uma revisão da literatura

“…Valenzuela, Pons-Fuster & López-Jornet (2016) e Sugaya et al (2016), embora utilizando outros protocolos, conseguiram resultados semelhantes em seus estudos. Com isso, o laser se configura como uma opção que mais se aproxima de cumprir com os requisitos de um padrão ouro, com efeitos positivos e sem efeitos adversos quando comparado a terapias farmacológicas com efeitos colaterais já bem descritos na literatura, embora, ainda não exista um protocolo terapêutico específico e bem fundamentado no conteúdo científico sobre a SAB (Camolesi et al, 2022;Senra et al, 2021;McMillan et al, 2016).…”

“…A catuama® tratase de uma terapia farmacológica de tratamento, um fitoterápico cuja literatura não relatou efeitos adversos significativos e que quando contrastado com as outras opções, como por exemplo, benzodiazepínicos e antidepressivos, passa uma maior segurança ao profissional para a prescrição e ao paciente para o seu uso. Além dessa alternativa, e agora tratando-se de terapias não farmacológicas, tem-se a TLBI, que vem cada dia mais ganhando espaço e aplicação na rotina odontológica, um instrumento de fácil manuseio com efeitos positivos bem reconhecidos e fundamentados tanto para o tratamento da SAB quanto para outras condições médico-odontológicas (Camolesi et al, 2022;Matos, et al, 2021;Al-Maweri et al, 2017;Miziara et al, 2015).…”

A Holistic Perspective on How Photobiomodulation May Influence Fatigue, Pain, and Depression in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Beyond Molecular Mechanisms

“…Although HRQoL and overall well-being have not consistently been primary targets of PBM research, based on a random sample of publications, the authors found evidence that HRQoL is responsive to PBM as part of its biopsychosocial effects. For example, in a systematic review and meta-analysis, Camolesi et al [10] found that there were significant improvements in oral HRQoL in people with burning mouth syndrome. Gautam et al [85] found that physical, emotional, and functional well-being was significantly better in an active PBM treatment group compared to placebo treatment in people receiving chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer.…”

“…We suggest that there may be several co-existing phenomena (including mechanisms) that are activated by the application of PBM to a biological system with sentience, and which cannot necessarily be explained by biophysical causes. For example, if one accepts that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is the individual's overall perceived mental and physical health, PBM must have much more than a molecular analgesic mechanism given that HRQoL has been shown to be positively influenced by PBM, e.g., [10].…”