The Effect of Low Level Laser Therapy on Improvement of Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is the major cause of nondental pain in orofacial area. Laser therapy can be considered as one of the most popular methods of pain relief in TMD patients. The special features of laser light such as coherence, monochromaticity, and collimation can result in the ability of laser light to modify cellular metabolism, increase tissue repair and reduce edema and inflammation. The effectiveness of low level laser therapy in reducing the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders has been investigated in a few studies. But, in most of the previous studies the etiology of TMD has not been considered in patient selection. Furthermore, there are some controversies in the results of these studies. According to our data, there is no study evaluating the effects of low level laser therapy on patients having TMJ osteoarthritis.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of low level laser therapy in improving osteoarthritis of temporomandibular joint and also to evaluate the long term effects of laser therapy on the morphology of the joint.