Laser acupuncture in the treatment of neuropathies in dentistry: a systematic review

Laser acupuncture can be used to treat neurosensory alterations and motor disorders caused by dental treatments. This study aimed to review the existing literature on the effects of laser acupuncture on neuropathies in the context of dentistry and to search for treatment modalities in which this technique is used. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines and the PICOS strategy. Randomized clinical trials that evaluated laser acupuncture as a primary intervention for facial neuropathy were included. We searched the database for relevant studies and manually searched the gray literature until April 2022, and finally included four studies. The study was considered eligible if it included patients with paresthesia, facial paralysis, or neuralgia, neuropathies within dentistry, and referred to the application of laser acupuncture as a treatment method. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB 2 tool. It was observed that the recommended wavelengths ranged from 790 nm to 810 nm, with a frequency of at least two applications per week, and to a greater or lesser degree, all evaluated studies obtained an improvement in sensory or motor recovery of the facial nerves. The use of laser acupuncture presented itself as a viable alternative in dentistry for the treatment of paresthesia and facial paralysis due to its therapeutic potential in neuropathic treatment (CRD42022344339).