Affiliations 

  • 1 Sindh Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan
  • 2 Orthodontic Department, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka 72721, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia
  • 3 Orthodontic Department, Baqai Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan
  • 4 Orthodontics Residency Programme, Section of Dental Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
  • 5 Oral Biology Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 6 Prosthodontic Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian 16150, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
Pain Res Manag, 2021;2021:6690542.
PMID: 34055122 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6690542

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of low-level laser applied at 3 weeks intervals on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) and pain using conventional brackets (CB).

Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with Angle's class II div 1 (10 males and 10 females; aged 20.25 ± 3.88 years) needing bilateral extractions of maxillary first bicuspids were recruited. Conventional brackets MBT of 0.022 in slot (McLaughlin Bennett Trevisi) prescription braces (Ortho Organizers, Carlsbad, Calif) were bonded. After alignment and levelling phase, cuspid retraction began with nitinol closed coil spring on 19 × 25 stainless steel archwire, wielding 150 gram force. 7.5 J/cm2 energy was applied on 10 points (5 buccal and 5 palatal) on the canine roots on the investigational side using gallium-aluminum-arsenic diode laser (940 nm wavelength, iLase™ Biolase, Irvine, USA) in a continuous mode. Target tissues were irradiated once in three weeks for 9 weeks at a stretch (T0, T1, and T2). Patients were given a feedback form based on the numeric rating scale (NRS) to record the pain intensity for a week. Silicon impressions preceded the coil activation at each visit (T0, T1, T2, and T3), and the casts obtained were scanned with the Planmeca CAD/CAM™ (Helsinki, Finland) scanner.

Results: The regimen effectively accelerated (1.55 ± 0.25 mm) tooth movement with a significant reduction in distress on the investigational side as compared to the placebo side (94 ± 0.25 mm) (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: This study reveals that the thrice-weekly LLLT application can accelerate OTM and reduce the associated pain.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.