LOW-LEVEL LASER THERAPY AND DENTAL INJECTION PAIN IN CHILDREN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS
Amrollahi N, ADEl SAR, Tarrahi MJ, Kalantari M
The journal of evidence-based dental practice · 0 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2026-02-04 · J Evid Based Dent Pract · vol. 26 · issue 2 · p. 102235
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Cited
- 0 citations · more than 5% of similar papers · 0.0× the field average
- References
- 13 works
- Access
- Paywalled
- Research areas
- Laser Applications in Dentistry and Medicine · Dental Anxiety and Anesthesia Techniques · Dental Erosion and Treatment
- Keywords
- Low level laser therapy, Funnel plot, Confidence interval, Randomized controlled trial, Meta-analysis, Local anesthetic, Cochrane collaboration, Pain control, Publication bias, Visual analogue scale
- MeSH
- humans, anesthetics, local, pain measurement, injections, child, randomized controlled trials as topic, pain management, low-level light therapy
4 authors
From IR, AT
- Narjes AmrollahiIsfahan University of Medical Sciences
- SEYED AMIR REZA ADElSigmund Freud Privatuniversität Wien
- Mohammad Javad TarrahiIsfahan University of Medical Sciences
- Maryam Kalantari · correspondingIsfahan University of Medical Sciences
Abstract
Objectives
Managing pain effectively during dental procedures is crucial, especially for children undergoing local anesthetic injections. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT), or photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), has been investigated as a non-invasive method to reduce injection discomfort.
Data sources
A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted up to June 2024 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating PBMT for pain reduction. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool 2 (RoB2) by 2 independent reviewers. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA version 17 on data from studies. Heterogeneity was assessed using chi-squared, tau, and I2 statistics. A random-effects model was employed, and publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots and Begg and Egger's tests.
Results
Eight articles met the inclusion criteria, with 6 included in the meta-analysis. The analysis showed a significant reduction in Wong-Baker pain score in children receiving PBMT compared to control groups (mean difference = -1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.43 to -0.07, P = .039). Meta-analysis based on a specific range of wavelength (960 nm) and consistent control groups (anesthetic gel with an inactive laser), confirmed a significant reduction in Wong-Baker (mean difference = -1.30, 95% CI: -2.17 to -0.43, P < .001) and face, legs, activity, cry, and consolability (FLACC) scale (mean difference = -1.06, 95% CI: -1.68 to -0.45, P < .001) pain scores.
Conclusion
PBMT was found to be effective in reducing pain during anesthetic injections in children. The application of PBMT (960 nm) compared to a gel-inactive laser control group shows promise based on the Wong-Baker and FLACC scales.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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