Evaluation of the Effect of Adding Low Level Laser Irradiation to Drug Therapy in Patients Affected with Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial

This study aimed to investigate the effect of adding low level laser irradiation to drug therapy on improving patients affected with burning mouth syndrome (BMS).
In this randomized single-blind clinical trial, 20 patients (17 female and 3 male) suffering from BMS were selected and randomly divided into two groups. In all the patients, citalopram was prescribed. In the experimental group, a low level InGaAlP laser (660 nm, 200 mW, 3 J/cm2) was irradiated for four weeks (12 sessions). In the control group, a similar treatment was administered while the laser probe was off. At the end of each week and after 1, 2 and 3 months of laser therapy, the patients were asked about the intensity (according to visual analogue scale) and duration (based on hour in 24-hours) of burning mouth sensation. The data were analyzed using t-test, paired t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficient in SPSS.
The severity and duration of burning sensation was not significantly different between the two groups at any of the treatment and follow-up intervals (P>0.05). At the end of the follow-up period, a significant reduction in intensity and duration of burning sensation was found in both groups compared to baseline examination (P0.05). There was a significant relationship between the improvement and the intensity of burning sensation at baseline examination (PUnder the conditions used in this study, citalopram was effective in reducing the intensity and duration of burning sensation in patients affected with BMS. The addition of low level laser irradiation to citalopram was not superior to placebo laser in reducing symptoms of BMS patients.