Non-Cochrane · intervention · PM42782929
Effectiveness of Photobiomodulation as a Treatment for Xerostomia in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Undergoing Radiotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
De La Hoz Tomás Quintero, Peña Yaskara Sanjines, Ramírez Fernando Quispe, et al. · Dentistry journal · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.3390/dj14090542
Findings
Population Adults with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy
3 findings
| Photobiomodulation | Sham or standard care | Oral pain (VAS) Multiple time points pooled | MD -0.76 [-1.33, -0.20] Moderate 3 studies |
| Photobiomodulation | Sham or standard care | Stimulated salivary flow Multiple time points pooled | MD 1.06 [-0.28, 2.39] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Photobiomodulation | Sham or standard care | Unstimulated salivary flow Multiple time points pooled | MD 1.14 [-0.58, 2.86] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
Included primary studies 12
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camolesi 2025 Photobiomodulation for the prevention of oral side effects secondary to head and neck cancer therapy: results of a randomised,… PMID:40184883 | 2025 | 1 other review | Oral pain (VAS) | not extracted yet |
| Louzeiro 2020 Effect of photobiomodulation on salivary flow and composition, xerostomia and quality of life of patients during head and neck… PMID:32570059 | 2020 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Mosannen Mozaffari 2024 Evaluation of the Effect of Photobiomodulation on Radiation-Induced Xerostomia in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Randomized Clinical… PMID:38655042 | 2024 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Oton-Leite 2012 Effect of low level laser therapy in the reduction of oral complications in patients with cancer of the head and neck submitted to… PMID:24164228 | 2013 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Silva 2023 Photobiomodulation for the management of xerostomia and oral mucositis in patients with cancer: a randomized clinical trial. PMID:37060370 | 2023 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Brunelli 2025 Combined extraoral and intraoral photobiomodulation for the prevention and management of oral mucositis and Xerostomia caused by the… DOI:10.1007/s10103-025-04539-z | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Brunelli 2025 Combined extraoral and intraoral photobiomodulation for the prevention and management of oral mucositis and Xerostomia caused by the… PMID:40549226 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Camolesi 2025 Photobiomodulation for the prevention of oral side effects secondary to head and neck cancer therapy: results of a randomised,… DOI:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2025.107266 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Lopes 2006 Prevenção da xerostomia e da mucosite oral induzidas por radioterapia com uso do laser de baixa potência DOI:10.1590/s0100-39842006000200012 | 2006 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Louzeiro 2020 Effect of photobiomodulation on salivary flow and composition, xerostomia and quality of life of patients during head and neck… DOI:10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2020.111933 | 2020 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Oton-Leite 2012 Effect of low level laser therapy in the reduction of oral complications in patients with cancer of the head and neck submitted to… DOI:10.1111/j.1754-4505.2012.00303.x | 2012 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Silva 2023 Photobiomodulation for the management of xerostomia and oral mucositis in patients with cancer: a randomized clinical trial DOI:10.1007/s10103-023-03760-y | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
| Review | Shared studies | Jaccard |
|---|---|---|
| Effects of photobiomodulation on oral mucositis, oral pain, xerostomia, salivary flow rate, and quality of life in patients with head and… (2026) | 5 | 0.13 |
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Adults with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy with xerostomia or salivary gland hypofunction attributable to radiotherapy | Adults with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy (n=7 RCTs; Brazil 6, Iran 1) |
| Intervention | Photobiomodulation administered intraorally, extraorally or combined with a clearly defined laser protocol | Intraoral PBM 660-685 nm or 808-810 nm, or combined intraoral and extraoral PBM (n=7) |
| Comparison | Placebo or sham therapy; standard oral care; pharmacological agents; other non-laser supportive approaches | Sham (n=5); standard care (n=1); intraoral PBM only (n=1) |
| Outcomes | Xerostomia severity; stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rate; xerostomia-related quality of life; oral pain | Oral pain VAS (n=3, pooled); stimulated salivary flow (n=2, pooled); unstimulated salivary flow (n=2, pooled); xerostomia VAS, LENT-SOMA, XeQOLS and Xerostomia Inventory reported narratively |
| Study designs | Randomized controlled trials | Randomized controlled trials (n=7) |
| Timing | Not specified | During radiotherapy and early post-treatment; follow-up up to 6 months in pooled data, no follow-up beyond 12 months |
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 | No | No | yes |
| 8Included studies described in detail | Partial Yes | Yes | no |
| 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: No · NRSI: N/A | NRSI: N/A · RCT: No | 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 | Critically Low | Critically Low | yes |