Pain Reduction Using Low Level Laser Irradiation in Single-Visit Endodontic Treatment

Introduction: post-endodontic treatment pain is a relatively common condition which needs analgesics for patient’s pain relief. low-level laser therapy (lllt) is suggested as a non-pharmacological and non-invasive treatment for dealing with painful conditions. the purpose of this study was to evaluate the pain relief effect of lllt after endodontic treatment.methods: eighty patients randomly received either lllt (n=40), or placebo laser (n=40) after the completion of endodontic treatment for their first permanent upper or lower molars. in the laser group, the patients received a single course of low level laser therapy (whitening lase ii- laser dmc, samsung, korea) for 80 second (a dose = 70 j/cm²) per tooth. intensity of post treatment pain was recorded using a questionnaire (the mcgill pain questionnaire) and a numeric rating scale (visual analogue scale {vas}) at 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 hours. vas is a 10 cm line with “no pain” at one end, and “worst pain imaginable” at the other end. this method makes it possible to quantify pain levels. t-test and chi-square test were used for data statistical analyses.results: compared to the placebo group, post-endodontic pain was significantly reduced in lllt group at 4, 8, 12, and 48 hours (p<0.05). but the difference between the two groups was not significant at 24 hours after endodontic treatment (p>0.05). conclusion: regarding the significant pain reduction in lllt group at 4, 8, 12, and 48 hours after endodontic treatment, lllt seems to be an effective and non-pharmacological approach for the reduction of post-endodontic treatment pain