title: Influence of superpulsed laser therapy on healing processes following tooth extraction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research studied the effects of laser therapy on healing processes following tooth extraction in healthy human subjects, evaluating some inflammation, osteogenesis, and clinical parameters.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Alveolar healing following tooth extraction is a complex repair process involving different types of tissues, including epithelium and bone. Therefore, it can be advantageous to use techniques able to influence the healing of all tissues.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten healthy human subjects with indications for bilateral tooth extraction entered the split-mouth study. The subject/patient becomes his/her own control, thereby eliminating all individual differences in response to laser treatment. This consisted of: 904-nm laser, 33  W peak power, 30  KHz, 200  ns, average power 200  mW, illuminated area 1 cm(2), 200  mW/cm(2), 15  min, 180  J, 180  J/cm(2). In each patient, one post-extraction site was treated with laser radiation, whereas the other was left untreated as a control. Soft-tissue specimens were removed from the extraction site before tooth extraction (T0) and 7 days after from extraction (T7); expression of inflammatory and osteogenesis parameters was evaluated on these specimens. The clinical parameter "pain" was evaluated for each subject.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Superpulsed laser irradiation prevented the increase of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and induced an insignificant increase in collagen at 7 days after extraction, versus levels on day of extraction; no changes were found in the other parameters examined. Patients reported less pain at the site treated with superpulsed laser irradiation than at the control site.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that superpulsed laser irradiation may be a treatment of choice for patients scheduled for tooth extraction, as it provides clinical efficacy, is safe and well tolerated, and is able to prevent inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Oral Surgery Unit, Dentistry Section, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, School of Dentistry, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mozzati
authors.forename: Germana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martinasso
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cocero
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pol
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maggiora
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muzio
authors.forename: Rosa Angela
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Canuto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003094:Collagen / Q000528:radiation effects; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008297:Male; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014081:Tooth Extraction; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016753:Interleukin-10; D003094:Collagen; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2