Therapeutic Effect of a Low-Level Laser on Acute Pain and Post-operative Mouth Opening After Closed Reduction of Mandibular-Condylar Fracture

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the therapeutic effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on acute pain and the range of mouth opening after condylar closed reduction surgery. The use of low-level lasers, especially to reduce inflammation and pain, has received more attention in recent years. The results of many studies performed in this field are contradictory, and the effectiveness of low-level lasers in the treatment of patients is still uncertain.Methods: This study was performed as a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial on 40 patients with condylar closed reduction surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups of 20 patients, including the placebo and intervention groups. In the intervention group, the patients received LLLT (100 mw, 2 J/cm2, 20 S/point, 14 extraoral points, 7 days). The range of jaw movements after opening the intermaxillary-fixation was measured. Patients' pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21, the chi-square test, and repeated measures ANOVA.Results: There was no significant difference between the study groups in terms of the range of jaw motions. The mean VAS score was 56.85 (SD = 3.817) in the intervention group and 60.95 (SD = 4.861) in the placebo group, showing a statistically significant difference between the two groups at the end of the study (P= 0.007)Conclusion: The results of this study indicated the effectiveness of low-level lasers in reducing acute pain in patients undergoing closed condylar surgery. Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20200520047519N1)