title: Evaluation of low-level laser therapy in the treatment of masticatory muscles spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: Spasticity is a motor disorder frequently present in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the spasticity of the masseter and anterior temporal muscle fibers in children with CP over three weeks of intermittent laser exposures. The bite force (BF) of the masticatory muscles and the amplitude of mouth opening were evaluated before and after laser irradiation in 30 children with CP. Both sides of the masseter and temporalis muscles were irradiated with low-intensity diode laser pulses of 808-nm wavelength six times over three consecutive weeks. During the subsequent three weeks of postlaser exposures, although no laser treatment was applied, the evaluation parameters were measured and recorded. A significant improvement in the amplitude of mouth opening and a decrease in the BF were observed in the weeks following LLLT (P<0.05 ). However, by the sixth week post-LLLT, the BF and the amplitude of mouth opening reverted to values equivalent to those obtained before the first application of LLLT. Our investigation revealed low-level energy exposures from a 808-nm diode laser to be an effective short-term therapeutic tool. This method increased the amplitude of mouth opening and decreased the muscle tonus of children with spastic CP over a time course of three weeks of intermittent laser applications.
authors.affiliation: Cruzeiro do Sul University, Institute of Dentistry, Rua Galvão Bueno 868, Liberdade, São Paulo, SP CEP 01506-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa Botti Rodrigues
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Cruzeiro do Sul University, Institute of Dentistry, Rua Galvão Bueno 868, Liberdade, São Paulo, SP CEP 01506-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Michele Baffi
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: São Paulo University (USP), School of Dentistry, Especial Laboratory of Lasers in Dentistry (LELO), Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2227 Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP CEP 05508-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sheila Cynthia
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Gouw-Soares
authors.affiliation: Mogi das Cruzes University (UMC), Biomedical Engineering Research and Post-Graduate Center, Av. Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida e Souza 200, Mogi das Cruzes, SP CEP 08780-911, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Alvaro Brandão
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lopes-Martins
authors.affiliation: Cruzeiro do Sul University, Institute of Dentistry, Rua Galvão Bueno 868, Liberdade, São Paulo, SP CEP 01506-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frigo
authors.affiliation: Cruzeiro do Sul University, Institute of Dentistry, Rua Galvão Bueno 868, Liberdade, São Paulo, SP CEP 01506-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando Martins
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Baeder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001732:Bite Force; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008297:Male; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular