title: Is low level laser effective for the treatment of orofacial pain?: A systematic review.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of low level laser therapy (LLLT) as a treatment for orofacial pain considering the methodology of the studies. PubMed (1983-2009) and one conference proceeding were searched. Studying quality was assessed using a validated instrument. A high-quality score was defined as high or low. Outcomes were defined as either positive (+), neutral (0), or negative (-). Thirty-three studies met inclusion criteria. The best evidence synthesis method was used to formulate outcome of LLLT for each type of control group. LLLT vs. placebo pooling revealed high-quality trials in three of eight positive studies. In LLLT vs. other active treatment pooling, two high-quality studies out of nine neutral trials were found. Quality of the trial was not significantly associated with neutral results (p=0.05). Only limited evidence indicated that LLLT is more effective than placebo, sham laser, and other active treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced General Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. dtttr@mahidol.ac.th
authors.forename: Tasanee
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tengrungsun
authors.forename: Somsak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitrirattanakul
authors.forename: Phonlakorn
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buranaprasertsuk
authors.forename: Theeralaksna
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suddhasthir
mesh_terms: D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D010919:Placebos; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000532:radiotherapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos