From a recent study on 26 orthodontic patients in need of fixed orthodontic appliance treatment to decrowd severe maxillary anterior teeth crowding, it was deduced that LLLT (low-level laser therapy) is not effective in alleviating pain following initial orthodontic archwire placement.

A two-arm parallel-group, randomized, single-center, single-blind non-inferiority placebo-controlled clinical trial aimed to investigate the effectiveness of LLLT in mitigating spontaneous and chewing pain following initial orthodontic archwire placement.

Overall, 26 orthodontic patients (mean age 20.07 ± 3.13 years) with maxillary LII (Little’s Irregularity Index) of 7 mm or more that indicates first maxillary premolars extraction and no intake of medications were recruited in this analysis. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1 ratio) to either LLL group (n=13) or placebo group (n=13).

In the LLL group, subjects were given a single LLL dose (wavelength 830 nm, energy 2 J/point) in four points (2 palatal, 2 buccal) for each maxillary anterior tooth root. In the placebo group, the subjects received the same laser application procedure without emitting the laser beam.

After 1, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h of treatment application, participants were requested to score spontaneous and chewing pain intensity by filling out a questionnaire with a 100-mm VAS (Visual Analogue Scale).

To compare the mean pain scores for both spontaneous and chewing pain at each studied time point, an independent t-test was utilized. The results of the 26 patients were statistically analyzed since no dropout occurred.

In the LLL group, the pain scores in all studied time points were less than their counterparts in the placebo group for both spontaneous and chewing pain. However, for each studied time point, no statistically significant difference was witnessed between the two groups. After 72 h, in the LLL group, the VAS score for chewing pain was found to be less compared to the placebo group as shown in the following table:

In orthodontic patients, LLLT is not effective in reducing pain following initial orthodontic archwire placement.