The Effect of Photobiomodulation on Distraction Osteogenesis

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a surgical procedure to increase bone height in different body parts. DO includes a surgical incision, wherein the bone is cut and a device is installed for further separation of the two ends by gradual unscrewing of the device screw. New bone gradually forms and fills the gap, and the bone height increases as such. Photobiomodulation (PBM) or low-level laser therapy (LLLT) enhances the formation of soft and hard tissue such as bone and can, therefore, accelerate the process of DO and shorten the duration of different surgical phases of DO such as latency, activation, and consolidation. Different laser types with variable exposure settings and protocols have been used for this purpose. The gallium-aluminum-arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser is the most commonly used laser type for LLLT. This study reviews 18 published articles on the effects of LLLT on DO and summarizes their findings to further elucidate this topic.

Effectiveness of Gaalas Phototherapy According to Diagnostic Criteria for Tемрoromandibular Disorders

Summary The objective of this study was to test the clinical effectiveness of the combined gallium-aluminum-arsenide laser (GaAlAs; 785 nm) and superluminiscent diods (SLD; 633 nm) phototherapy (MedX 1100 device) for the treatment of 62 patients with 7 of the most common pain-related temporomandibular disorders with highest sensitivity and specificity according to diagnostic criteria DC/TMD. Using paired samples t-test a positive effect in the pain relief for all tested conditions was demonstrated. The most manifested and statistically significant reduction of pain was found in arthralgia attributed to osteoarthritis and systemic (rheumatoid) arthritis (p = 0.0000001), and disc displacement without reduction with limited opening (p = 0.0000002). Similar levels of pain reduction were found in arthralgia attributed to subluxation, myofascial pain with referral, local myalgia (p values vary between 0.000001 and 0.000284); the lowest values were recorded for myofascial pain (p = 0.001789) and hypermobility-related myalgia (p = 0.018443). The combined laser and SLD phototherapy can be defined as very effective treatment option particularly in pain reduction of internal derangement disorders as well as in some myogenic-related pain conditions affected by TMJ dysfunction.