Photobiomodulation in the management of inferior alveolar nerve injuries: a case report
Keywords:
FOTOQUIMIOTERAPIA; NERVIO TRIGÉMINO; TERAPIA POR LUZ DE BAJA INTENSIDAD; TRAUMATISMOS DEL NERVIO TRIGÉMINO., PHOTOCHEMOTHERAPY; TRIGEMINAL NERVE; LOW-LEVEL LIGHT THERAPY; TRIGEMINAL NERVE INJURIES., FOTOQUIMIOTERAPIA; NERVO TRIGÊMEO; TERAPIA COM LUZ DE BAIXA INTENSIDADE; TRAUMATISMOS DO NERVO TRIGÊMEO.Abstract
Introduction: trigeminal nerve injuries are caused by various dental procedures, bringing about diverse complications, which necessitate thorough clinical evaluation and therapeutic management.
Objective: describe the role of low-power laser photobiomodulation therapy in the treatment of post-extraction paresthesia of impacted third molars.
Case presentation: a 30-year-old female patient presented with partial loss of sensation in the right lip and hemi-face after surgical removal of third molars. The condition was confirmed via thermal and tactile tests, with no relevant medical history noted, leading to the initiation of photodynamic therapy and laser photobiomodulation with an infrared TERAPY EC laser, applied externally and intraorally along affected neural tracts. The protocol consisted of 4 J sessions for 40 seconds, three times per week for three months. At the end of treatment, significant improvements in sensitivity were observed, evidencing the laser’s effectiveness in post-surgical neurosensory recovery.
Conclusions: photobiomodulation therapy with laser in patients with post-extraction third molar paresthesia contributed substantially to stimulating, treating, and alleviating pain by enabling the drainage of inflammatory-modulating substances.
Downloads
References
1. Malamed Stanley F. Manual de Anestesia Local. 6a ed, Elsevier. Barcelona, España[Internet]; 2013 [Citado: 03/11/2024]. Disponible en: https://www.anestesia.org.ar/assets/downloads/articles/277/230-Manual%20de%20Anestesia%20Local%20-%20Malamed%206%20ed.pdf
2. García-Blanco M, Gualtieri AF, Lovaglio-Rivas AC, Ruffini JM, Puia SA. Lesiones del nervio trigémino. Experiencia de Trigeminal nerve injuries. Four years’ experience at a single Argentine referral center and a literature review. Acta Odontol Latinoam[Internet]. 2021[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 34 (3): 263–70. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.54589/aol.34/3/263
3. Joachim M, Tabib R, Laviv A, Pikovsky A, et al. Trigeminal Neuropathy After Mandibular Fractures: Epidemiology and Neurophysiologic Diagnosis. J Craniofac Surg[Internet]. 2019[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 30(4): 1113–1117. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1097/scs.0000000000005215
4. Kaleem A, Amailuk P, Hatoum H, Tursun R. The Trigeminal Nerve Injury. Oral Maxillofac SurgClin North Am[Internet]. 2020[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 32(4): 675–687. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coms.2020.07.005
5. Agbaje JO, Van de Casteele E, Hiel M, Verbaanderd C, et al. Neuropathy of Trigemina lNerve Branches After Oral and Maxillofacial Treatment. J Maxillofac Oral Surg[Internet]. 2016[Citado: 03/11/2024];15(3): 321–327. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12663-015-0843-9
6. Renton T, Dawood A, Shah A, Searson L, et al. Post-implant neuropathy of the trigeminal nerve. A case series. Br Dent J[Internet]. 2012[Citado: 03/11/2024];212(11):E17. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2012.497
7. Tay AB, Zuniga JR. Clinical characteristics of trigeminal nerve injury referrals to a university centre. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg[Internet]. 2007[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 36(10): 922–927. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijom.2007.03.012
8. Seddon HJ. THREE TYPES OF NERVE INJURY. Brain[Internet]. 1943[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 66(4): 237–88. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/66.4.237
9. Ma Y, Yang M, Chen X, Qu W, Qu X, He P. The effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy on inferior alveolar nerve injury: A systematic review and META-analysis. PLoSOne[Internet]. 2023 Aug[Citado: 03/11/2024] ;18(8): e0287833. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287833
10. Al-Sabbagh M, Okeson JP, Khalaf MW, Bhavsar I. Persistent pain and neurosensory disturbance after dental implant surgery: pathophysiology, etiology, and diagnosis. Dent Clin North Am[Internet]. 2015[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 59 (1): 131–42. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cden.2014.08.004
11. Patel N, Ali S, Yates JM. Quality of life following injury to the inferior dental or lingual nerve – a cross-sectional mixed-methods study. Cirugía Bucal[Internet].2018[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 11(1): 9–16. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1111/ors.12259
12. Pol R, Gallesio G, Riso M, Ruggiero T, Scarano A, Mortellaro C, et al. Effects of Superpulsed, Low-Level Laser Therapy on Neurosensory Recovery of the Inferior Alveolar Nerve. J Craneofac Surg[Internet]. 2016[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 27 (5): 1215–9. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1097/scs.0000000000002757
13. Sharifi R, Fekrazad R, Taheri MM, Kasaeian A, Babaei A. Effect of photobiomodulation on recovery from neurosensory disturbances after sagittal split ramus osteotomy: a triple-blind randomised controlled trial. Br J Oral Maxilofac Surg[Internet]. 2020[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 58(5):535‐41. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjoms.2020.02.005
14. Chaves ME, Araújo AR, Piancastelli AC, Pinotti M. Efectos de la fototerapia de baja potencia en la cicatrización de heridas: LÁSER x LED. An Bras Dermatol[Internet]. 2014[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 89(4): 616–23. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1590/abd1806-4841.20142519
15. Ma Y, Yang M, Chen X, Qu W, Qu X, He P. The effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy on inferior alveolar nerve injury: A systematic review and META-analysis. PLoS One[Internet]. 2023 Aug[Citado: 03/11/2024];18(8): e0287833. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287833
16. de Oliveira RF, da Silva AC, Simões A, Youssef MN, de Freitas PM. Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Paresthesia: A Retrospective Study of 125 Clinical Cases. Photomedicine and laser surgery[Internet]. 2015[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 33(8): 415–423. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1089/pho.2015.3888
17. de Pedro M, López-Pintor RM, de la Hoz-Aizpurua JL, Casañas E, Hernández G. Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy for the Therapeutic Management of Neuropathic Orofacial Pain: A Systematic Review. J Oral Facial Pain Headache[Internet]. 2020[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 34(1): 13–30. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.11607/ofph.2310
18. Falaki F, Nejat AH, Dalirsani Z. The Effect of Low-level Laser Therapy on Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Review of Literature. J Dent Res Dent Clin Dent Prospects[Internet]. 2014[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 8(1): 1-5. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.5681/joddd.2014.001
19.Ibarra AMC, Biasotto-Gonzalez DA, Kohatsu EYI, de Oliveira SSI, Bussadori SK, Tanganeli JPC. Photobiomodulation on trigeminal neuralgia: systematic review. Lasers Med Sci. 2021[Citado: 03/11/2024]; 36(4): 715-722. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-020-03198-6
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 María Belén Ibarra Ramírez, Gladys Viviana Urrego-Cueva, German Díaz-Espinoza
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who have publications with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors will retain their copyrights and grant the journal the right of first publication of their work, which will be publication of their work, which will be simultaneously subject to the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC 4.0) that allows third parties to share the work as long as its author and first publication in this journal are indicated.
Authors may adopt other non-exclusive license agreements for distribution of the published version of the work (e.g.: deposit it in an institutional telematic archive or publish it in a volume). Likewise, and according to the recommendations of the Medical Sciences Editorial (ECIMED), authors must declare in each article their contribution according to the CRediT taxonomy (contributor roles). This taxonomy includes 14 roles, which can be used to represent the tasks typically performed by contributors in scientific academic production. It should be consulted in monograph) whenever initial publication in this journal is indicated. Authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate their work through the Internet (e.g., in institutional telematic archives or on their web page) before and during the submission process, which may produce interesting exchanges and increase citations of the published work. (See The effect of open access). https://casrai.org/credit/
