title: Low-level laser therapy in pediatric Bell's palsy: case report in a three-year-old child.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to apply low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to accelerate the recovery process of a child patient with Bell's palsy (BP).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subject was a three-year-old boy with a sudden onset of facial asymmetry due to an unknown cause.
  
  
  METHODS
  The low-level laser source used was a gallium aluminum arsenide semiconductor diode laser device (660 nm and 780 nm). No steroids or other medications were given to the child. The laser beam with a 0.04-cm(2) spot area, and an aperture with approximately 1-mm diameter, was applied in a continuous emission mode in direct contact with the facial area. The duration of a laser session was between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the chosen points and the area being treated. Light was applied 10 seconds per point on a maximum number of 80 points, when the entire affected (right) side of the face was irradiated, based on the small laser beam spot size. According to the acupuncture literature, this treatment could also be carried out using 10-20 Chinese acupuncture points, located unilaterally on the face. In this case study, more points were used because the entire affected side of the face (a large area) was irradiated instead of using acupuncture points.
  
  
  METHODS
  The House-Brackmann grading system was used to monitor the evolution of facial nerve motor function. Photographs were taken after every session, always using the same camera and the same magnitude. The three-year-old boy recovered completely from BP after 11 sessions of LLLT. There were 4 sessions a week for the first 2 weeks, and the total treatment time was 3 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The result of this study was the improvement of facial movement and facial symmetry, with complete reestablishment to normality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LLLT may be an alternative to speed up facial normality in pediatric BP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Analysis, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Univ Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil. fontanacr@fcfar.unesp.br
authors.forename: Carla Raquel
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: Vanderlei Salvador
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Bagnato
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D020330:Bell Palsy / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005154:Facial Nerve; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome