Laser treatment of dentin hypersensitivity

Mahdian M, Behboodi S, Ogata Y, Natto ZS Laser treatment of dentin hypersensitivity. A systematic review Cochrane Database 2021, No. 7. Art. No.: CD009434. doi: 10.1002 /14651858.CD009434.pub2. Accessed July 30, 2021.

Commentary

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a placebo laser, placebo agent, or no treatment versus a laser used in the office to relieve the pain of dentin hypersensitivity.

The main results of the study were reviewed, including a total of 23 studies involving 936 participants and 2296 teeth. Overall, five studies with low risk of bias, 13 studies with unclear, and five studies with high risk of bias were evaluated.

Based on the type of laser and the primary outcome measure, we divided the studies into six subgroups and assessed changes in pain intensity when tested by air blowing and tactile stimulation using a quantitative pain scale (visual analogue scale (VAS) of 0 to 10: no pain to worst pain. ), medium (24 hours to over 2 months), and long term (over 2 months).

Results showed that the combined application of all types of lasers, compared to placebo and no treatment, could reduce pain intensity when tested by short-term airflow stimulation. Similarly, there was a possible reduction in pain intensity when tested with short-term tactile stimulation, but there was insufficient evidence of a difference in pain intensity when tested long-term with tactile stimulation.

They also reported that no apparent adverse events were observed during the study.

The authors concluded that

The limited and uncertain evidence from the meta-analysis suggests that overall laser application may improve pain intensity when tested by airflow or tactile stimulation in the short, medium, or long term when compared to placebo/no treatment. Overall, laser therapy appears to be safe. Future studies, including appropriately designed double-blind RCTs, are needed to further investigate the clinical efficacy of lasers and their cost-effectiveness.