Effect of Photobiomodulation Therapy With an 810-nm Diode Laser on Pain Perception Associated With Dental Injections in Children: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

This study investigated the photobiomodulation effect of an 810-nm diode laser in adjunction with topical anesthesia on pain perception during infiltration anesthesia of primary maxillary molars in children.

This double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 64 children (aged 5-9 years) requiring extraction or stainless steel crown for their primary maxillary molars. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups (n = 32) of laser and control. In the laser group, the injection site (buccal and palatal mucosa) was irradiated with an 810-nm laser (200 mW, 5.2 J/cm2) after 20% benzocaine topical anesthetic application, while the control group received a placebo laser following topical anesthesia. The pain intensity experienced by children during needle insertion into the buccal and palatal mucosa was determined using a visual analog scale (VAS) and modified behavioral pain scale (MBPS).

According to the results of the VAS and MBPS, no significant difference was detected in pain scores between the laser and control groups neither in the buccal nor in the palatal mucosa (P > 0.05).

Photobiomodulation therapy with an 810-nm laser with the current setting adjunct to topical anesthesia did not promote significant additional effects on the pain intensity.