Low-level LASER therapy effects vs. placebo in the treatment of temporo-mandibular joint disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of low-level LASER therapy (LLLT) in the treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. LLLT therapy was compared with placebo treatment. Material and methods: A number of 20 patients with TMJ pain were included in this study. The diagnosis was done according to Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD). The patients were divided into two groups. The first group received LLLT (660 nm, 90 mW; LaserHF Surgical Unit, Hager & Werken GmbH & Co.KG, Duisburg, Germany) and the second group placebo therapy. TMJ pain was evaluated at baseline and weeks 1 and 2 after therapy. Results: The pain scores decreased for both groups at the 1week point. At the 2-week point there was a significantly decrease in pain scores for LLLT group compared with the placebo group. Still, according to the Mann-Whitney test, there was no statistically significant difference between the placebo group and the LLLT group. Conclusion: Considering these results and the fact that there is no side effect or disadvantage of LLLT, we recommend its use for pain reduction in TMD patients, but with the condition of daily sessions. Further studies are recommended with a larger sample size of patients in order to demonstrate the benefit of LLLT treatment also from a statistical point of view.

Effectiveness of the Laser Application in Temporomandibular Joint Disorder: A Systematic Review of 1172 Patients

“…In 2018, a study completed by Buduru et al showed a significant pain reduction and noticed that there is no disadvantage of LLLT. Thus, the author had recommended the use of LLLT for pain reduction in TMD patients [ 30 ]. According to Del Vecchio et al , LLLT can significantly reduce TMD pain symptom, and it is very much effective in TMJD pain management (Del Vecchio et al ).…”

Effect of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) on muscle pain in temporomandibular disorders – an update of literature

“…We also indented to identify the impact of this type of therapy on reducing muscle pain in patients suffering from this pathology. Out of the 28 articles included, 9 were metaanalysis, systematic reviews, or literature reviews (3,5,6,25,26,28,29,30,32) and 19 were clinical trial studies (7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,31 ). Therefore, the authors analyzed the articles included in this research and organized the findings based on topic and on answering on some focused questions.…”

Comparative effectiveness of low‐level laser therapy with different wavelengths and transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation in the treatment of pain caused by temporomandibular disorders: A systematic review and network meta‐analysis

“…After careful full-text screening and assessment of the risk of bias, 27 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. [7][8][9]11,13,25,[28][29][30][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] The selection process and exclusion reasons were presented in the flow chart (Figure 1). These studies, published between 2006 and 2021, included 969 TMD patients consisted of 463(47.78%) for LLLT, 153(15.79%) for TENS, and 353(36.43%) for placebo.…”

“…Of 969 participants, 546 were women, and 301 were unclear. The search results contained 26 direct comparisons immediately after treatment, [7][8][9]11,13,25,[28][29][30][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][50][51][52] in which two were L1 versus placebo, 13 were L2 versus placebo, two were L3 versus placebo, three were TENS versus placebo, one was L1 versus L2, one was L1 versus TENS, one was L2 versus TENS, two were L3 versus TENS, and one was L2 versus TENS versus placebo. Then, the one-month follow-up network contained nine RCTs, 7,9,29,[42][43][44][47][48][49] including seven L2 comparisons with placebo, one L3 comparison with placebo, and one comparison with L2, TENS and placebo.…”