Cold laser for oral ulcers: A pilot study (original) (raw)

2014, Journal of Advanced Clinical and Research Insights

Introduction: Most common form of oral ulcers is recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). It occurs in three forms minor, major and herpetiform ulcers. They are extremely painful ulcer, and there are no established causes or treatment for it. Various causes such as vitamin defi ciencies, stress, micro-trauma, has been hypothesized for the etiology of RAS. Treatment with cold lasers is commonly known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT). They are used as adjuvant treatment in the various disorders such as arthritis, tennis elbow, chronic wounds, burns, peripheral nerve regeneration. In this study, we are using cold lasers for the treatment of the oral ulcers. Materials and Methods: A total of 12 subjects with RAS in the age group of 16-50 years of both genders were included in the study. After taking informed consent, they were treated with LLLT (0.63 nm, 10 mW, continuous wave). Area of the ulcer was determined, and the duration of the laser treatment was calculated. On an average, the treatment duration was 10-18 s/day. Subjects were treated daily until the ulcers healed. Effi cacy of the treatment was based on assessment pain scores (measured using visual pain analog scale) measured every day after therapy. Results: Total of 12 subjects underwent treatment. The average size of the ulcer was 8 mm 2 with a range of 8-35 mm 2. The average pain score (visual analog scale) on the 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd day, and 5 th were 6.9, 6.4, 4.9, and 2.3 respectively. Conclusion: LLLT is known to cause vasodilatation by releasing nitric oxide at base of the ulcers. This increase in blood supply drains out of the metabolic substances, which cause tissue destruction and pain. It also favors the production of growth factors which causes healing of the ulcer and tissue repair. The observation that pain in the ulcers is same on the 2 nd day could suggest that LLLT augments the natural process of healing. Further comparative and follow-up studies are required to prove further effi cacy of LLLT on RAS.