Effect of intraoral photobiomodulation therapy on pain perception associated with local anaesthesia infiltration: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Local anaesthetic injections, commonly used in dentistry and oral surgery, often cause discomfort. This review aimed to examine the impact of intraoral photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) on pain associated with local anaesthesia. Up to March 2024, two independent reviewers searched four databases, ultimately screening 17 randomized controlled trials for meta-analysis using Stata 17.0. The results indicate that intraoral PBMT application significantly reduces the perception of pain associated with local anaesthetic injections (standardized mean difference (SMD) −0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) −1.27 to −0.52; P < 0.001). This analgesic effect remained consistent irrespective of concurrent topical anaesthetics, and PBMT was efficacious in paediatric (SMD −0.53, 95% CI −0.89 to −0.17; P = 0.004) and adult (SMD −1.46, 95% CI −2.32 to −0.61; P = 0.001) populations. Subgroup analysis provided very low to low-quality evidence that using a wavelength between 900 nm and 980 nm (SMD −0.87, 95% CI −1.36 to −0.39; P < 0.001) and an irradiation time of 13–40 s (SMD −0.94, 95% CI −1.35 to −0.53; P < 0.001) are associated with significant pain reduction. The use of PBMT could aid in reducing pain perception for patients during dental injections, encouraging earlier presentation for dental consultations.