title: Infrared laser therapy after surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion to diminish pain and accelerate bone healing.
abstract: The aim of this study was to illustrate how gallium arsenite aluminum diode laser (824 nm) irradiation can reduce postsurgical edema and discomfort and accelerate sutural osseous regeneration after surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion (SARPE). An adult patient with an 8-mm transverse maxillary discrepancy was treated with SARPE. Infrared laser therapy was started on the 7th postoperative day, with a total of eight sessions at intervals of 48 hours. The laser probe spot had a size of 0.2827 cm2 and was positioned in contact with the following (bilateral) points: infraorbital foramen, nasal alar, nasopalatine foramen, median palatal suture at the height of the molars, and transverse palatine suture distal to the second molars. The laser was run in continuous mode with a power of 100 mW and a fluency of 1.5 J/cm2 for 20 seconds at each point. Subsequently, an absence of edema and pain was observed. Further, fast bone regeneration in the median palatal suture could be demonstrated by occlusal radiographs. These findings suggest that laser therapy can accelerate bone regeneration of the median palatal suture in patients who have undergone SARPE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Emir Requia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Abreu
authors.forename: Vinicius Nery
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Viegas
authors.forename: Rogerio Miranda
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pagnoncelli
authors.forename: Eduardo Martinelli Santayama
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.forename: Alessandro Marchiori
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Farret
authors.forename: Fernando Zugno
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Kulczynski
authors.forename: Marcel Marchiori
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Farret
mesh_terms: D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004487:Edema / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D054023:Lasers, Semiconductor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008312:Malocclusion, Angle Class II / Q000601:surgery; D008437:Maxilla / Q000528:radiation effects*; D063166:Maxillary Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*; D055171:Nasal Cartilages / Q000528:radiation effects; D009915:Orbit / Q000528:radiation effects; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000528:radiation effects; D019857:Osteogenesis, Distraction / Q000295:instrumentation; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010155:Palatal Expansion Technique / Q000295:instrumentation; D010159:Palate / Q000528:radiation effects; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D055815:Young Adult