APPLICATION OF LOW POWER LASER IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE DENTAL PAIN. CASE REPORT

Resumo

Anxiety, pain and discomfort are situations of great stress in daily dental practice, in particular in Endodontics. Several studies have concluded that therapy with low power laser was effective in chronic and acute pain control caused by several pathologies. As connective tissue of the pulp has the peculiar characteristic of being surrounded by dentin, the irreversible inflammation of the pulp is accompanied by exacerbate acute pain. Furthermore, due to inflammation installed, the pH of the medium is acidified and the anesthetic agent is not always able to promote full analgesia. The present clinical case reported the application of low power laser before the urgency endodontic treatment in a patient suffering from acute pain, due to irreversible pulp inflammation. Laser parameters applied were: 780nm, 40mW, 40J/cm2 per point, 1.6J per point, and total of 2 irradiation points. Pain range was measured through Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The urgency endodontic treatment was conducted successfully, with patient comfort, without the need of complementation of anesthesia. Low power laser applied in this specific case report showed to be safe. Patient related a decrease of 33% of pain immediately after laser irradiation and 90% pain decrease fifteen minutes after laser irradiation. In the present case report, the application of low power laser during acute pain due to inflammation of the pulp brought comfort and decrease anxiety of patient during dental attendance. This finding proved interesting, however, randomized controlled clinical trials should be performed in order to investigate and scientifically prove any real beneficial of the application of low power laser in acute dental pain.