Non-Cochrane · intervention · PM41492762
Analgesic Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy for Postoperative Endodontic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Bonacina Gabriela, Hartmann Rafael Chies, Gomes Maximiliano Schünke, et al. · Australian endodontic journal : the journal of the Australian Society of Endodontology Inc · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1111/aej.70052
Findings
3 findings
| Population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients undergoing root canal treatment | Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) | Control (placebo, no laser or ibuprofen) | Postoperative endodontic pain intensity (VAS) 1 day (24 h) · Root canal treatment · Overall | MD -0.56 [-0.74, -0.38] Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness 5 studies · 310 participants |
| Teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (vital pulp) | Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) | Control (placebo, no laser or ibuprofen) | Postoperative endodontic pain intensity (VAS) 1 day (24 h) · Root canal treatment · Vital pulp (pulpitis) | MD -0.51 [-0.71, -0.32] GRADE not reported 3 studies · 180 participants |
| Teeth with necrotic pulp and asymptomatic apical periodontitis | Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) | Control (placebo or no laser) | Postoperative endodontic pain intensity (VAS) 1 day (24 h) · Root canal treatment · Necrotic pulp (asymptomatic apical periodontitis) | MD -1.03 [-2.02, -0.03] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 130 participants |
Included primary studies 9
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doganay Yildiz 2018 Effect of Low-level Laser Therapy on Postoperative Pain in Molars with Symptomatic Apical Periodontitis: A Randomized Placebo-controlled… PMID:30144985 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Guimaraes 2021 Effect of photobiomodulation on post-operative symptoms in teeth with asymptomatic apical periodontitis treated with foraminal… PMID:34173988 | 2021 | this review only | Postoperative endodontic pain intensity (VAS) | not extracted yet |
| Ismail 2023 Efficiency of diode laser in control of post-endodontic pain: a randomized controlled trial. PMID:36662285 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kaplan 2021 Effect of a 980-nm diode laser on post-operative pain after endodontic treatment in teeth with apical periodontitis: a randomized clinical… PMID:33482797 | 2021 | this review only | Postoperative endodontic pain intensity (VAS) | not extracted yet |
| Lopes 2019 Effect of photobiomodulation therapy on postoperative pain after endodontic treatment: a randomized, controlled, clinical study. PMID:29658070 | 2019 | this review only | Postoperative endodontic pain intensity (VAS) | not extracted yet |
| Naseri 2020 Effect of Low-level Laser Therapy With Different Locations of Irradiation on Postoperative Endodontic Pain in Patients With Symptomatic… PMID:32802283 | 2020 | this review only | Postoperative endodontic pain intensity (VAS) | not extracted yet |
| Nunes 2020 Comparison of the effect of photobiomodulation therapy and Ibuprofen on postoperative pain after endodontic treatment: randomized,… PMID:31811497 | 2020 | this review only | Postoperative endodontic pain intensity (VAS) | not extracted yet |
| Saglam 2023 Comparison of ıntracanal ozone and low-level laser therapy on postoperative pain in vital teeth with symptomatic apical… PMID:37776342 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Shah 2022 Evaluation of effect of low level laser therapy with intracanal medicament on periapical healing: A randomised control trial. PMID:35229767 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Patients undergoing root canal treatment | Patients with asymptomatic or symptomatic apical periodontitis or symptomatic irreversible pulpitis undergoing root canal treatment (n=9 studies; sample sizes 42 to 180) |
| Intervention | Low-level laser therapy | LLLT (InGaAlP, GaAlAs or diode lasers; 660 to 980 nm; 40 to 160 s) (n=9 studies) |
| Comparison | Analgesic/anti-inflammatory medication or placebo | No laser/placebo (n=8 studies); ibuprofen (n=1 study) |
| Outcomes | Postoperative endodontic pain levels (VAS, VRS or NRS) | Postoperative pain intensity by VAS (n=7), VRS and NRS (n=2) |
| Study designs | Clinical trials | Randomised clinical trials (n=9) |
| Timing | 1 day (24 h) for meta-analysis | Pain at 6 h to 30 days; meta-analysis at 24 h |
AMSTAR 2 items
Two independent extractors rated each item. Their ratings are shown side by side because they have not been reconciled yet. The overall rating follows Shea et al. 2017: one critical flaw gives Low, more than one gives Critically Low.
| Item | Extractor A | Extractor B | Agree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Research question includes PICO components | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 2Protocol established before the reviewcritical | Partial Yes | Partial Yes | yes |
| 3Choice of study designs explained | No | No | yes |
| 4Comprehensive literature searchcritical | Partial Yes | Partial Yes | yes |
| 5Study selection in duplicate | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 6Data extraction in duplicate | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 7List of excluded studies with reasonscritical | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 8Included studies described in detail | Partial Yes | Partial Yes | yes |
| 9Risk of bias assessed satisfactorilycritical | RCT: Yes · NRSI: N/A | NRSI: N/A · RCT: Yes | no |
| 10Funding of included studies reported | No | No | yes |
| 11Appropriate meta-analysis methodscritical | RCT: Yes · NRSI: N/A | NRSI: N/A · RCT: Yes | no |
| 12Impact of risk of bias on the pooled results | No | No | yes |
| 13Risk of bias accounted for in interpretationcritical | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 14Heterogeneity explained | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 15Publication bias investigatedcritical | No | No | yes |
| 16Conflicts of interest reported | Yes | Yes | yes |
| Overall | Low | Low | yes |