The Effect of Photobiomodulation on Distraction Osteogenesis

Abstract

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a surgical procedure to increase bone height in different body parts. DO includes a surgical incision, wherein the bone is cut and a device is installed for further separation of the two ends by gradual unscrewing of the device screw. New bone gradually forms and fills the gap, and the bone height increases as such. Photobiomodulation (PBM) or low-level laser therapy (LLLT) enhances the formation of soft and hard tissue such as bone and can, therefore, accelerate the process of DO and shorten the duration of different surgical phases of DO such as latency, activation, and consolidation. Different laser types with variable exposure settings and protocols have been used for this purpose. The gallium-aluminum-arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser is the most commonly used laser type for LLLT. This study reviews 18 published articles on the effects of LLLT on DO and summarizes their findings to further elucidate this topic.

The RNA Methyltransferase METTL3 Promotes Endothelial Progenitor Cell Angiogenesis in Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis via the PI3K/AKT Pathway

“…While DO can effectively repair large bone defects, its long consolidation phase and associated complications limit its widespread clinical implementation. Many studies have sought to shorten this consolidation phase through the use of growth factors ( Makhdom and Hamdy, 2013 ), laser therapy ( Sarmadi et al, 2019 ), hormones ( Kang et al, 2017 ; Weng et al, 2019 ), and stem cell therapy ( Jiang et al, 2021 ), but the mechanistic basis underlying this regenerative process has yet to be clarified. Studies of rats and rabbits are widely used when conducting mandibular DO research, whereas there have been fewer studies using large animal models.…”

Panax notoginseng Saponin Promotes Bone Regeneration in Distraction Osteogenesis via the TGF-β1 Signaling Pathway

“…Despite being effective, the DO procedure necessitates a prolonged consolidation phase that can result in high complication rates [ 13 ], restricting its widespread clinical implementation. A range of factors has been explored as potential adjuvant therapies capable of improving DO-related bone regeneration, including growth factors [ 14 ], laser therapy [ 15 ], hormone [ 16 , 17 ], bisphosphonates [ 18 ], and stem cell therapy [ 4 ]. While many of these approaches have been found to accelerate bone regeneration to varying extents, there are concerns regarding their safety or feasibility, which have limited their clinical use [ 19 , 20 ].…”

Table_1.XLSX

“…While DO can effectively repair large bone defects, its long consolidation phase and associated complications limit its widespread clinical implementation. Many studies have sought to shorten this consolidation phase through the use of growth factors (Makhdom and Hamdy, 2013), laser therapy (Sarmadi et al, 2019), hormones (Kang et al, 2017;Weng et al, 2019), and stem cell therapy (Jiang et al, 2021), but the mechanistic basis underlying this regenerative process has yet to be clarified.…”