Deans

Robert Uchin – College of Dental Medicine Harold Laubach – College of Medical Sciences

Award Date

1-1-2007

Abstract

The Orofacial Pain Clinic at Nova Southeastern University manages many types of head and neck pain. Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) is proving to be an efficacious form of therapy with minimal morbidity and a high degree of patient acceptance, being valuable in the difficult category of neuropathic pain. The FDA has approved the apparatus used in our clinic. The neurological response to LILT has been investigated by us in two previous research projects which have been reported to International Meetings. From animal and human studies, it is known that LILT can also influence microcirculatory balance and have a remedial effect on edema. This work was done in the limbs and there is a lack of data in the head and neck region although here vascular instability and edema may be troublesome concomitants of post traumatic pain and some forms of neuropathy such as Trigeminal Neuralgia (TGN). The purpose of the present investigation is to record changes in microcirculatory flux (measured by laser Doppler ) and edema (measured with a commercially available dielectric non-invasive device for determination of change in tissue water content) in a group of 30 patients receiving LILT for a variety of painful conditions in the Orofacial region (15 with Neuropathic pain and l5 with Myofascial pain) using the contra lateral side as control. Observations will be made pre- treatment, immediately post treatment and at 10 minutes and 3 days post LILT Greater understanding of the optimal parameters for LILT to augment blood flow as an aid to healing and to remedy swelling would improve the effective utilization of this already valuable modality in the Orofacial region.

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