Uso del láser terapéutico en el control del dolor en ortodoncia

objective: to determine the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (lllt) to decrease the perception of pain after application of orthodontic molar separations. material and methods: we performed a randomized single-blind in 30 students between 16 and 20 years who were administered elastic separation between the permanent molars. volunteers were assigned into two groups: 15 patients in the experimental group who were treated with lllt (photon lase, dmc usa corp.) for 30 seconds on each permanent right molar and 15 patients in the control group who received placebo-like placement inactive laser with the same protocol used in the experimental group. altogether 30 teeth were included in each group. pain perception was assessed at 3, 12, 24 hours and 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 after application of lllt through a standard questionnaire using the visual analogue scale of pain (eva). results: 61.6% of patients in the control group had some degree of pain during the follow-up period in comparison with the 38.64% of the experimental group (p =0.004). although pain intensity peaked at 12 hours the mean differences between groups was statistically significant (<0.001). conclusion: lllt proved to be a useful tool in controlling pain after the application of separation molars.