Effect of light-emitting photobiomodulation therapy on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement A randomized controlled clinical trial

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of light-emitting photobiomodulation therapy (LPT) on the rate of canine distalization. Methods This study was performed on 60 extraction spaces formed by extraction of the upper first premolars of 30 patients (15 in the LPT group and 15 in the control group). Paul Gjessing (PG)-segmented canine retraction springs were used for canine distalization. In the LPT group, the Biolux OrthoPulse (TM) (Biolux Research Ltd, Vancouver, Canada) intraoral device (wavelength 850 nm LED light and an energy density of 63 mW/cm(2) [+/- 13 mW/cm(2)]) was used for 5 min per day over a period of 84 days. For each patient, the diagnosis was based on standard orthodontic documentation with photographs, digital model casts, and cephalometric and panoramic radiographs. The anchorage loss, canine rotations, canine inclinations, and molar inclinations were also evaluated on plaster models obtained on days 0, 21, 42, 63, and 84. The models were measured by using 3Shape OrthoAnalyzer software (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark). Measurements were made by a researcher and a blinded clinician. For statistical comparison, a paired-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used at the p < 0.05 level. Results The mean canine distalization rates were 1.36 mm/21 days and 1.02 mm/21 days in the LPT and control groups, respectively, and were statistically greater in the LPT group (p < 0.001). The amount of anchorage loss, canine rotations, canine inclinations and molar inclinations were not significantly different between the LPT and control groups at any of the timepoints. Conclusion LPT has the potential to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement by 33%.