Affiliation:
1. Department of Prosthodontics and Crown and Bridge, SRM Dental College and Hospital, Ramapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
2. Department of Prosthodontics, Crown and Bridge, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract
Background:
Surgical and postoperative challenges impose the need for noninvasive techniques to enhance bone healing process and reduce complications during implant therapy in diabetic patients. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has shown a substantial effect in the management of postoperative pain, neurosensory recovery, and healing at surgical sites.
Objectives:
The present study aimed to assess the effect of PBMT on peri-implant osteoblastic activity, soft-tissue wound healing, and Post operative pain discmofort among type 2 diabetic patients.
Material and Methods:
Five type 2 diabetic patients with bilaterally edentulous mandibular posterior teeth necessitating 10 implants with two-segment variant type were included in the study. The study site (SS) with implants was treated with PBMT (gallium–aluminum–arsenide diode laser 810 nm), and the control site (CS) with implant (opposite side) was left untreated. The Wound Healing Index (WHI), Visual Analog Scale, and bone scintigraphy were used to assess postoperative discomfort and peri-implant osteoblastic activity, respectively.
Results:
The average WHI scores and Visual Analog Scale at the SS were not significantly higher than the CS score. Although lack of significant increase in osteoblastic activity was observed under bone scan, the difference in experimental values highlights a possible association of PBMT and osseointegration potential among the study group.
Clinical Implications:
The application of Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT) as an adjunct around dental implants will improve osteoblastic activity and bone healing to reduce the probability of early-onset failures in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, to assess the impact of the PBMT on peri-implant bone with different bone densities, further well-controlled long-term trials on larger study groups are needed.
Conclusion:
Within the limitations of the study, irradiation using PBMT at the peri-implant tissue site has shown favorable osteoblastic activity, WHI score, and Visual Analog Score postoperatively, but the results were statistically not significant. However, further long-term trials on diabetic individuals on a larger scale are needed for validating these study results.