LED and LLLT for preventing chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis and pain

Methods: Thirty patients under chemotherapy treatment for cancer, aged from 02 to 18, were randomly divided into two groups: group 1 was treated through a noncoherent Light Emission Diode (LED) emission, wavelength 637 ± 15 nm, 30 mW, 5 seconds, fluence 4.0 J/cm2; and group 2 was treated intra-orally through Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) wavelength 660 nm, 30 mW, 5 seconds, fluence 4.0 J/cm2. The phototherapy was performed once a week for four weeks. Oral mucositis and its associated pain were scored weekly using the Oral Mucositis Index (OMI) and the visual analogue scale (VAS). The Mann-Whitney test was used to access differences among the two groups. Results were considered statistically significant when p ≤ 0.05.

This study received external funding of Fapemat protocol # 6096/2006

Results: From the 12 analyzed sites using the OMI, statistically significant difference was found only at the lateral margin of the tongue (p = 0.02), in this site, oral mucositis was more severe when irradiated with LED. There were no significant differences between LED and LLLT for the oral mucositis associated pain.

The median healing time, expressed as the DMI decrease, was 1.7 (range 1¨C2.8) and, in seven LED-treated patients, was shorter than in the control group. The healing rate (measured as the ratio of the DMIs) increased from 117% to 164%.

Conclusion: Although more studies are needed, LED therapy appears useful in the prevention of oral mucositis and its associated pain in pediatric patients under chemotherapy. It also appears that noncoherent light have similar properties than coherent light (laser) when applied using the same parameters (wavelength, exposure time, power).