title: Effects of low-level laser therapy on wound healing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To gather and clarify the actual effects of low-level laser therapy on wound healing and its most effective ways of application in human and veterinary medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched original articles published in journals between the years 2000 and 2011, in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese languages, belonging to the following databases: Lilacs, Medline, PubMed and Bireme; Tey should contain the methodological description of the experimental design and parameters used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  doses ranging from 3 to 6 J/cm(2) appear to be more effective and doses 10 above J/cm(2) are associated with deleterious effects. The wavelengths ranging from 632.8 to 1000 nm remain as those that provide more satisfactory results in the wound healing process.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low-level laser can be safely applied to accelerate the resolution of cutaneous wounds, although this fact is closely related to the election of parameters such as dose, time of exposure and wavelength.
authors.affiliation: Metropolitan Union of Education and Culture, Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabiana do Socorro da Silva Dias
authors.initials: Fdo S
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: State University of Santa Cruz, Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosana Maria de Oliveira
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: State University of Santa Cruz, Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Manoel Luiz
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000528:radiation effects*