International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants 2014-12-01

Thermographic monitoring of wound healing and oral health-related quality of life in patients treated with laser (aPDT) after impacted mandibular third molar removal.

G Batinjan, Z Zore, A Čelebić, M Papić, D Gabrić Pandurić, I Filipović Zore

Index: Int. J. Oral Maxillofac. Surg. 43(12) , 1503-8, (2014)

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of low-level laser therapy on wound swelling, wound temperature changes, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) after surgical removal of impacted lower third molars. Forty patients with impacted lower third molars requiring surgical removal participated in this study; all were Pell-Gregory class IIB or IIC. The patients were divided randomly into two groups for post-extraction therapy. One group received antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) and the other received no additional therapy (placebo group). Temperature measurements were done using an infrared thermographic camera on days 3 and 7 postoperative. OHRQoL was assessed in both groups on day 7 using the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire translated into Croatian (OHIP-14-CRO). Prior to surgical treatment, there was no difference in patient characteristics between the two groups. A significantly lower temperature and less wound swelling were recorded on day 3 postoperative in the aPDT group compared to the control group (P<0.001). Participants in the aPDT group also had significantly lower OHIP-14-CRO summary scores (P<0.01). The present study showed beneficial effects of the aPDT modality of low-level laser therapy: postoperative wound swelling was reduced and wound temperature decreased, and OHRQoL was better through the 7-day postoperative period in comparison to the placebo group. Copyright © 2014 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.