Efficacy of photobiomodulation therapy on neurosensory recovery in patients with inferior alveolar nerve injury following oral surgical procedures: a systematic review

Objective: The present systematic review aimed to assess the efficacy of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy on neurosensory recovery of patients with inferior alveolar nerve injury following third molar surgery or dental implant placement. Method and materials: An electronic search was carried out in Scopus, Embase, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases. Among 1,122 identified papers, seven articles (three RCTs, one observational study, and three case series) met the inclusion criteria.
Results: Time lapse from nerve injury to the onset of PBM therapy varied widely from 2 days to 4 years. The number of patients in each study ranged between 4 and 74. In the majority of the studies, PBM was done using a diode laser at wavelengths ?in the range of 808 to 830 nm with power of 5 to 500 mW and radiation dose of 3 to 244 J/cm2. Two out of three RCTs found significant neurosensory recovery in the patients who received PBM therapy compared to the controls. The observational study and all case series reported significant improvement in the neurosensory status following PBM therapy. The degree of neurosensory recovery was found to be greater in younger patients and those who received the treatment within 6 months following the injury.
Conclusions: Due to the limited number of well-designed RCTs and small number of patients in each study, it is not possible to make a clear conclusion about the efficacy of PBM therapy on neurosensory recovery in patients with inferior alveolar nerve injury following third molar or implant procedures. Considering the possibility of spontaneous inferior alveolar nerve recovery during this period, the conclusion based on the studies with no control group should be interpreted with caution. (Quintessence Int 2021;52:140–153; doi: 10.3290/j.qi.a45430) Keywords: dental implants, inferior alveolar nerve, low-level light therapy, nerve regeneration, oral surgical procedures, photobiomodulation therapy