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Effect of laser on pain relief and wound healing of recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a systematic review

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Abstract

The aim of this systematic review was to assess a potential benefit of laser use in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). The primary outcome variables were pain relief, duration of wound healing and reduction in episode frequency. A PICO approach was used as a search strategy in Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases. After scanning and excluding titles, abstracts and full texts, 11 studies (ten RCTs and one non-randomised controlled trial) were included. Study selection and data extraction was done by two observers. Study participants varied between 7–90 for the laser and 5–90 for the control groups. Laser treatment included Nd:YAG laser ablation, CO2 laser applied through a transparent gel (non-ablative) and diode laser in a low-level laser treatment (LLLT) mode. Control groups had placebo, no therapy or topical corticosteroid treatment. Significant pain relief immediately after treatment was found in five out of six studies. Pain relief in the days following treatment was recorded in seven studies. The duration of RAS wound healing was also reduced in five studies. However, criteria of evaluation differed between the studies. The episode frequency was not evaluated as only one study addressed this outcome parameter, but did not discriminate between the study (LLLT) and control (corticosteroid) groups. Jadad scores (ranging from 0 to 5) for quality assessment of the included studies range between 0 and 2 (mean = 1.0) for studies analysing pain relief and between 0 and 3 (mean = 1.1) for studies evaluating wound healing. The use of lasers (CO2 laser, Nd:YAG laser and diode laser) to relieve symptoms and promote healing of RAS is a therapeutic option. More studies for laser applications are necessary to demonstrate superiority over topical pharmaceutical treatment and to recommend a specific laser type, wavelength, power output and applied energy (ablative versus photobiomodulation).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 7, 3010, Bern, Switzerland

    Valerie G. A. Suter, Sophia Sjölund & Michael M. Bornstein

  2. Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, SAR, China

    Michael M. Bornstein

Authors
  1. Valerie G. A. Suter
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  2. Sophia Sjölund
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  3. Michael M. Bornstein
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Correspondence to Michael M. Bornstein.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding

The study was funded by departmental funds of the Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, University of Bern.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval was not needed for this systematic review.

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Informed consent was not needed for this systematic review.

Additional information

Valerie G. A. Suter and Sophia Sjölund contributed equally to this work.

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Suter, V.G.A., Sjölund, S. & Bornstein, M.M. Effect of laser on pain relief and wound healing of recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a systematic review. Lasers Med Sci 32, 953–963 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-017-2184-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-017-2184-z

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