Category Archives: Research

73 papers for your review this time including LLLT clinical trials for temporomandibular joint disorder, pain associated with orthodontic separators, meniscal tears and a third molar extraction study. An interesting case history of a stroke patient treated with LLLT, the effect of red light on sleep, endurance and performance in basketball players. There are several systematic reviews of LLLT out, including reviews on onychomycosis, TMJD, orofacial pain, oral mucositis, lymphedema and orthodontic pain (not necessarily favourable). AND HOW ABOUT THIS : “Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) combined with swimming training improved the lipid profile in rats fed with high-fat diet” The authors conclude: “LLLT decreased the total cholesterol (p < 0.05), triglycerides (p < 0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05), and relative mass of fat tissue (p < 0.05), suggesting increased metabolic activity and altered lipid pathways. The combination of exercise and LLLT increased the benefits of exercise alone. However, LLLT without exercise tended to increase body weight and fat content. LLLT may be a valuable addition to a regimen of diet and exercise for … Continue reading →

Here is the rather late August LLLT / cold laser literature watch and its another juicy one. 42 papers for you to review including a triple blind oral mucositis study on 221 patients, acute low back pain dose response study, a systematic review on breast cancer-related lymphedema, periodontal LLLT in patients with diabetes, and a study of the safety of red light phototherapy of tissues harboring cancer.

Here is July’s LLLT / cold laser literature watch and it’s a juicy one. 41 papers for you to review including several dental/oral applications, a systematic review on LLLT for OA (note how well the LED study performs), an amazing post hemilaminectomy pain study (a THOR study, I might add) and another TBI review from Mike Hamblin’s lab.

The XR3T-1 device is a rebadged THOR system. I trained Ab Boonswang and the ATA clinic staff in LLLT and the device was used off label for this application.  Our FDA clearance is for temporary relief of muscle and joint pain. We have CE mark for Europe and TGA for Australia. These points were not made clear in the BMJ article.

A couple of minor technical points: There is an error in the technical description of the LED treatment head, the reported spot size of 0.196 cm2 should have been started as “per diode” of which there are 69. The total power was 1390mW (not 1400 as reported) which should be divided by the number of LEDs to get an average : 1390mW/ 69 LEDs / 0.196 each LED = an average power density of approx 100mW/cm2. Some would argue that the way to report power density of a cluster is total power by total area of the array in which case the power density would be approx 50mW/cm2.

Congratulations to Dr Boonswang on getting this … Continue reading →

29 papers published in June for you to review including: a meta-analysis of LLLT on joint pain (one of the best results come from an LED study, but this paper refers to it as a laser!), an RCT on hypothyroidism induced by chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, a review of 9 papers on xerostomia and much more.

Meta-Analysis of Pain Relief Effects by Laser Irradiation on Joint Areas.

Jang, H, Lee H

Department of Information and Communications, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology , Gwangju, Republic of Korea.

Abstract Background: Laser therapy has been proposed as a physical therapy for musculoskeletal disorders and has attained popularity because no side effects have been reported after treatment. However, its true effectiveness is still controversial because several clinical trials have reported the ineffectiveness of lasers in treating pain. Methods: In this systematic review, we investigate the clinical effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on joint pain. Clinical trials on joint pain satisfying the following conditions are included: the laser is irradiated on the … Continue reading →

31 LLLT papers for you from May 2012 including: LLLT after root planing, post episiotomy, and for TMJD, shoulder tendinopathies, dysmenorrhoea, pressure sores and acne vulgaris and much more.

Did you see the video of two tigers and a grizzly bear getting LLLT. Click here for that

Short-term clinical and osteoimmunological effects of scaling and root planing complemented by simple or repeated laser phototherapy in chronic periodontitis.

Calderin S, Garcia-Nunez JA, Gomez C

Departamento de Estomatologia III, Facultad de Odontologia, UCM, Madrid, Spain.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, anti-inflammatory, and osteoimmunological benefits of the single (PT) and repeated laser phototherapy (rPT) as an adjunctive treatment of inflamed periodontal tissue. Twenty-seven patients with chronic periodontitis were randomly divided into three groups of nine patients each in order to undergo scaling and root planing (SRP), SRP followed by one session of adjunctive PT (Day 1; SRP + PT), or SRP followed by adjunctive repeated PT five times in 2 weeks (Days 1, 2, 4, 7, and 11; SRP + rPT). … Continue reading →

32 LLLT papers for you this month including: Another RCT for chemoradiotherapy induced oral mucositis showing reduced severity and duration, another RCT showing how IR LEDs increase microcirculation in healthy subjects, and this surprised me; Laser-assisted nasal decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus including MRSA. de Sousa explores which wavelengths change bacterial morphology, Cepera et al show faster bone regeneration with LLLT after rapid maxillary expansion, LLLT gets a mention for onychomycosis which I am yet to be convinced about (though anecdotal reports are enthusiastic), and a tendinopathy trial gone wrong. Click here to see my comment “When the right dose goes wrong”