The effectiveness of low-level laser on postoperative pain and edema in secondary palatal operation ☆

Abstract Objective The postoperative period after palatal surgery is usually very painful, requiring the use of pain-relieving drugs. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in post-operative pain control and edema after secondary palatal operations. Methods A randomized double blinded clinical study on 20 children undergoing secondary palatal operations between 2013 and 2015 was done. Patients were randomly divided on two groups 10 patients each. In one group patients received local application of therapeutic laser immediately after surgery while patients received nothing in the control group. The mean age was 5.22 years ± 2.53 SD in the laser group and 6.42 years ± 0.76 in the control group. Postoperative pain was assessed by using visual analog scale scores and by recording the need of analgesics. The degree of postoperative edema was also recorded. Results The pain scale showed significantly less postoperative pain in the laser group than in the control group from the first day ( P -value = 0.006) to the 6th day ( P -value = 0.014). The number of postoperative analgesic doses needed were significantly less in the laser group in the second and third days ( P -value = 0.014). The postoperative edema was significantly higher in the control group from the 2nd ( P -value = 0.004) to the 7th ( P -value = 0.014) postoperative days. Conclusions Preliminary results showed that low-level laser therapy is effective in the reduction of postoperative pain and edema, and minimizing the need of analgesic medication after secondary palatal operations.