Assessment of the effectiveness of low level laser in the treatment of alveolar osteitis

Abstract

Background/Aim. Alveolar osteitis (AO) is the extraction wound healing disorder with a presence of severe pain. Low level laser therapy stimulates cell metabolism and microcirculation, have has pronounced analgesic, antiedematous and anti-inflammatory effect and speeds up wound healing process. The aim of this study was to present results of clinical research that examined the effectiveness of low level laser in pain relief and healing of extraction wounds with alveolar osteitis in the lower jaw which was formed on the second day after tooth extraction. Methods. The study was conducted on 60 subjects divided into the study and the control group. In both groups extraction wounds were processed in similar way, except that in the study group was applied daily treatment of low level laser with a total of eight sessions of radiation, while in the control group extraction wounds were dressed with zinc oxide eugenol paste, which was changed every 48 hours up to the pain cessation. Measurement of pain intensity was done with a visual analogue scale (VAS) 10 min prior to processing of extraction wounds and daily for the next eight days. Assessment of the effectiveness of low level laser on healing of extraction wounds was performed on the day eight of the treatment. Results. On the day five after beginning of the treatment of extraction wounds with alveolar osteitis in the patients of the study group a lower average value of pain as compared to the control group was registered. This difference was increased within the following days. Extraction wounds healing in the study group was more successful and faster than in the control group. Conclusion. This study suggested that the reduction of pain was more pronounced in the patients with alveolar osteitis whose extraction wounds were subjected to low level laser radiation in comparison to those in which extraction wounds were treated with zinc oxide eugenol paste.Uvod/Cilj. Alveolarni osteitis (AO) je poremecaj zarastanja ekstrakcione rane, pracen intenzivnim bolom. Laser male snage stimulise celijski metabolizam i mikrocirkulaciju, ima izrazen analgetski, antiedematozni i antiinflamatorni efekat i ubrzava proces zarastanja rana. U radu su predstavljeni rezultati klinickog istrazivanja koje je imalo za cilj da ispita dejstvo lasera male snage na smanjenje bola i zarastanje ekstrakcionih rana sa alveolarnim osteitisom u donjoj vilici nastalim drugog dana posle vadjenja zuba. Metode. Istrazivanje je obuhvatilo 60 osoba podeljenih na studijsku i kontrolnu grupu. Kod svih je izvrsena obrada ekstrakcione rane, s tim sto je u studijskoj grupi posle toga primenjeno svakodnevno lecenje laserom male snage sa ukupno osam seansi zracenja, dok je u kontrolnoj grupi u ekstrakcione rane stavljan zavoj cink-oksid eugenola koji je menjan na 48 sati do prestanka bola. Merenje bola vrseno je vizuelno-analognom skalom 10 minuta pre obrade ekstrakcionih rana i svakodnevno u narednih osam dana. Procena dejstva lasera male snage na zarastanje ekstrakcionih rana vrsena je osmog dana od njihove obrade. Rezultati. Petog dana posle tretiranja ekstrakcionih rana sa alveolarnim osteitisom kod ispitanika studijske grupe registrovana je niza prosecna vrednost bola u odnosu na ispitanike kontrolne grupe. Ova razlika uvecavala se u narednom periodu. Ekstrakcione rane u studijskoj grupi zarasle su uspesnije i brze u odnosu na kontrolnu grupu. Zakljucak. Istrazivanje je pokazalo da je snizenje bola bilo izrazenije kod ispitanika sa alveolarnim osteitisom cije su ekstrakcione rane bile podvrgnute zracenju laserom male snage nego kod ispitanika u cije ekstrakcione rane je stavljen zavoj cink-oksid eugenola.