Abstract
Objective:
To evaluate the level of pain experienced during infiltration anesthesia of the anterior maxilla following low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with 810-980 nm wavelengths.
Material and Methods:
In the current triple-blind clinical trial, 84 patients received a total of 168 infiltration anesthesia injections (1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine plus 1:100,000 epinephrine) in the anterior maxilla. Each patient received two injections into the buccal mucosa of the right and left central incisors with a two-week interval. One injection was performed after LLLT, while the other injection was administered conventionally without laser. The pain level was measured immediately after injection using a visual analog scale (VAS).
Results:
There was a significant difference in the pain level experienced with and without LLLT, such that the mean pain score following LLLT was significantly lower than that without LLLT (p<0.05). No significant difference was found in the pain level between laser and no laser groups in males, but the difference in this regard was significant in females (p<0.05) and female patients experienced a significantly lower level of pain following LLLT.
Conclusion:
The low-level laser therapy can be successfully used to decrease the level of pain experienced during infiltration anesthesia of the anterior maxilla.
Keywords:
Pain; Injections; Anesthesia, Local; Low-Level Light Therapy; Maxilla
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