Application of therapeutic laser in some orthodontic movements

Abstract

Purpose: To characterize radiographically the periodontal ligament thickness (PLT) and pain perception (PP) at the beginning of orthodontic treatment by activating and applying infrared laser of 810 nm each month for three months. Methodology: It was a quasi-experimental, descriptive and longitudinal study with a nonprobabilistic sample consisting of 10 patients from the clinic of Orthodontics and Orthopedics at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa. 200 measurements were performed in teeth #11 and 12 (laser-treated); and 21 and 22 (non-treated control). To measure the PLT periapical radiographs were analyzed with Motic software 3V Advance. For PP determination, visual analog scale (VAS) was used. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed with SPSS v-19 (confi dence interval of 95%). Results: In laser-treated teeth, PLT increased signifi cantly 0.719 μm from the fi rst to the second measurement and decreased 0.648 μm in the third measurement. In non-treated control teeth, PLT increased averaging 1.011 μm without signifi cant change in the third measurement. PP in control teeth averaged 3.7 ± 3.2 on the VAS scale in the fi rst measurement and 2.3 ± 2.3 in the second; while in the irradiated zone they averaged 2.9 ± 2.8 in the fi rst month and 1.4 ± 1.2 in the second. Conclusion: With laser treatment, PLT is signifi cantly reduced in comparison to the group that did not receive the treatment. At one and two months of treatment, average of PP decreased both in teeth where the laser is applied as in those without.