Low-level laser therapy stimulates bone-implant interaction in rabbits

University of Oslo July 7, 2004

Low-intensity laser treatment improves the efficacy of titanium oral implants in a rabbit model.
Scientists in Norway conducted a study "to investigate the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with a gallium-aluminium-arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser device on titanium implant healing and attachment in bone."
"This study was performed as an animal trial of 8 weeks duration with a blinded, placebo-controlled design," explained M. Khadra and coauthors at the University of Oslo. "Two coin-shaped titanium implants with a diameter of 6.25 mm and a height of 1.95 mm were implanted into cortical bone in each proximal tibia of twelve New Zealand white female rabbits (n=48)."
"The LLLT was used immediately after surgery and carried out daily for 10 consecutive days," the collaborators said. "The animals were killed after 8 weeks of healing," and the "mechanical strength of the attachment between the bone and 44 titanium implants was evaluated using a tensile pullout test."
"Histomorphometrical analysis of the four implants left in place from four rabbits was then performed," according to the report. "Energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis was applied for analyses of calcium and phosphorus on the implant test surface after the tensile test."
"The mean tensile forces, measured in Newton, of the irradiated implants and controls were 14.35 (SD±4.98) and 10.27 (SD±4.38), respectively, suggesting a gain in functional attachment at 8 weeks following LLLT (p=0.013)," published data showed. "The histomorphometrical evaluation suggested that the irradiated group had more bone-to-implant contact than the controls. The weight percentages of calcium and phosphorus were significantly higher in the irradiated group when compared to the controls (p=0.037) and (p=0.034), respectively, suggesting that bone maturation processed faster in irradiated bone."
"These findings suggest that LLLT might have a favorable effect on healing and attachment of titanium implants," the researchers concluded.
Khadra and colleagues published their study in Clinical Oral Implants Research (Low-level laser therapy stimulates bone-implant interaction: an experimental study in rabbits. Clin Oral Implant Res, 2004;15(3):325-332).
Additional information can be obtained by contacting M. Khadra, University of Oslo, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine,
P.O. Box 1109, Oslo, Norway.
The publisher of the journal Clinical Oral Implants Research can be contacted at: Blackwell Munksgaard, 35 Norre Sogade, P.O. Box 2148, DK-1016 Copenhagen, Denmark.
The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of Biotechnology and Medical Devices. This article was prepared by Biotech Week editors from staff and other reports