Parameters Used With Diode Lasers (808-980 nm) in Dentin Hypersensitivity Management: A Systematic Review

The present study aimed to describe parameters used with 808- to 980-nm wavelength diode lasers for managing dentin hypersensitivity and analyze their results.

The inclusion criteria were based on randomized controlled clinical trials using diode lasers at an 808-980 nm wavelength range in patients with dentine hypersensitivity with a minimum of 1-month follow-up. An electronic search for articles on Medline, PubMed, and Cochrane databases was performed. The risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane collaboration tool.

Our electronic search resulted in 130 papers, of which 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. A majority of the studies assessed dentine hypersensitivity using the Visual Analogue Scale, which ranged between 2.3 and 8.8 before treatment and significantly reduced to a mean value of 0.45-3.7 after diode laser application. The power settings ranged between 1.5 mW and 3 W with an emission mode of continuous wave, except for 2 authors who used chopped mode. The energy density varied from 2.5 to 128 J/cm2, and the exposure time was between 10 and 120 seconds. The authors applied a minimum of 1 to 4 treatment sessions with a 2-day to 1-week interval between them. Most of the studies mentioned the tooth surface as the treatment site but without describing the specific irradiation points.

Despite the heterogeneity of the analyzed variables, a statistically significant improvement in all laser groups as described. However, they cannot be compared homogenously.