Effects of Low-level Laser Therapy on Soft and Hard Tissue Healing After Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Extraction

Overview

Impacted lower third molar extraction is one of the most commonly performed dental procedures in daily practice. However, this is considered a relatively invasive procedure. During the surgery, dental surgeon must reflect a full-thickness flap, remove bone to expose the tooth, section and deliver the tooth. As a result, after surgery, patients often experience many complications, from swelling, pain, jaw tightness, etc. to alveolar bone loss, periodontal problems distal to the second molar, etc. Therefore, clinicians are always looking for additional therapies to minimize complications, helping patients have a more comfortable experience after wisdom tooth surgery. To date, placing grafting materials such as bone or other biological materials (growth factors, platelet-rich plasma, platelet-rich fibrin) into the tooth socket has been shown to be able to preserve the alveolar crest after extraction. However, these materials require preparation time, are costly, and have the risk of infection related to bone grafts. Meanwhile, low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is known as a safe, non-invasive therapy that can affect cell metabolism without causing tissue damage. This therapy has been widely applied in many fields of medicine in general and in dentistry in particular. Low-level lasers have been studied to help reduce swelling, pain, and jaw tightness after impacted lower wisdom teeth surgery. In vitro or in vivo studies evaluating the healing effect of low-level lasers have given very positive results. However, there is still a lack of scientific evidence to prove the healing effect of low-level lasers on human tooth extraction sockets. The study we conducted is a scientific study, in the field of Dentistry. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of low-level laser on soft tissue and bone healing after surgical extraction of impacted lower third molars in a group of Vietnamese population.