The Effect of Photobiomodulation Therapy on the Stability of Orthodontic Mini-implants in Human and Animal Studies: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The present study aimed to systematically explore available literature on the possible impact of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy on the stability and success of orthodontic mini-implants.

A comprehensive electronic search was conducted in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane and Embase databases for human and animal studies published until July 2021. Two independent researchers reviewed the studies based on specific eligibility criteria.

15 studies were included in the systematic review after a comprehensive search. Ten studies were included in the meta-analysis. Four were human RCT studies that evaluated the stability with Preriotest. Three other human RCT studies and two animal studies had evaluated the Implant stability quotient (ISQ). Two human RCTs that had evaluated displacement of mini-implants were also analyzed. The analysis of Periotest stability results showed a positive effect of PBM on mini-implant stability at 30 and 60 days after implantation (P < 0.05). In human studies using the ISQ method, a slight improvement was seen in the PBM groups; however, this was not statistically significant (CI = -1.92-2.70, SMD = 0.39). In studies that examined the displacement of mini-implants, no statistically significant difference was observed between irradiated and non-irradiated groups (CI = -1.92-2.70, SMD = 0.03). According to the results of animal studies, which had used the ISQ method, the use of laser was statistically effective in increasing the stability of mini-implants (SMD = 1.43, CI = 1.00–1.85).

PBM therapy can be suggested as an adjunctive clinical method to improve the stability of mini-implant treatment. Further well-designed clinical studies can help establish evidence-based dosing and irradiation protocols.