Effect of photobiomodulation on postoperative endodontic pain: A systematic review of clinical trials

This review aims to perform a complete evaluation of the impact of photobiomodulation (PMB) on postoperative endodontic pain.

The PRISMA checklist was used to perform this systematic review. The electronic databases were searched, including Google Scholar, PubMed, and Embase. Sixty‑three papers were obtained through a main electronic search and a hand search. Nine trials met the criteria after screening the titles, abstracts, and/or full texts.

Seven out of nine studies showed that PMB has a significant impact on relieving postoperative endodontic pain, with no statistically significant difference in the severity of pain between the laser and control groups in the two remaining studies. In addition, eight studies showed no adverse effects, indicating that we can remove the adverse effects of drugs such as nonsteroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs. However, one study showed evidence of the consequences of PMB application on teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Therefore, it can be concluded that PMB should not be used in teeth with pain because of irreversible pulpitis.

Although there is some understanding from a cellular viewpoint of the effects of PMB, there is still some uncertainty about whether these cell‑level modifications impact reducing the postendodontic pain.