The use of low-power laser therapy as a method for preventing oral mucositis in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation

High-dose chemotherapy in bone marrow transplantation conditioning produces undesirable effects in the oral cavity, the most significant of which is oral mucositis (OM). Using low-power laser as a therapy applied to the oral mucosa, the author evaluated the possibility of reducing the incidence and/or severity of OM in patients undergoing autologous or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. From January 2004 to May 2005, thirty-eight patients with hematological diseases were randomized into a group of 19 patients who received laser radiation and another group of 19 patients who did not receive laser radiation. The laser used was an InGaAlP diode, with a wavelength of 660 nm and 50 mW of power. The technique used was punctual, touching the mucosa, with a dosimetry of 4 J/cm2, calculated over a beam area of 0.196 cm2. Analysis of the results showed that the group that received laser application had a lower incidence of oral mucositis, and the patients in this group who developed mucositis presented it to a lesser degree. Based on these data, it can be stated that low-power laser is an instrument capable of reducing the incidence of OM.