The Effects of Ibuprofen and Laser on Orthodontic Pain
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2018-08-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Early orthodontic pain is usually caused by the insertion of elastomeric separators to the
mesial and distal of the tooth to be banded in order to create adequate space for proper
placement. Recent studies have demonstrated that the pain reaches its peak at 24 hours and
then gradually decreases within 7 days The intensity of this pain is sometimes perceived as
extremely high to cause a significant number of patients to discontinue the treatment.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which block the prostaglandin synthesis through
inhibiting the cyclooxygenase activity, is one of the most common methods used to manage the
orthodontic pain. It has been reported that these drugs decrease the orthodontic tooth
movement rate, in addition to many systemic side effects such as gastric and duodenal
ulceration, coagulation disorders, congestive heart problems and allergic effect.
The application of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) also reported being efficient in
accelerating orthodontic tooth movement and in alleviating orthodontic pain without any
apparent side effects. LLLT is thought to reduce the pain by increasing the local blood flow,
inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory substances, inducing the release of
neurotransmitters, altering the conduction and excitation of peripheral nerves and
stimulating the endorphins release. On the other hand, literature review on the effectiveness
of LLLT in alleviating orthodontic pain observed after elastomeric separator placement (ESP)
exhibited conflicting results. While LLLT was found to be effective in some studies, the
others refuted its effectiveness.
When studies on alleviating orthodontic pain observed after ESP were reviewed, it was
determined that the effects of many drugs and LLLT were evaluated subjectively by VAS.
Furthermore, only in one study, the effects of ibuprofen and LLLT were compared using PGE2
levels in GCF and VAS. Based on that, this study was aimed to compare the effects of
ibuprofen and LLLT in alleviating orthodontic pain observed after ESP through IL-1β and SP
levels in GCF and VAS.