Efficacy of Low-level Laser Therapy and Light-emitting Diode Therapy in Modulating Osteoclastic Activity on Titanium Disk: An In Vitro Study

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and light-emitting diode (LED) therapy on osteoclastic activity in RAW 264.7 cells cultured on titanium disks. Materials and methods: This <i>in vitro</i> study utilized 42 titanium disks (10 mm diameter, 3 mm thickness) divided into three groups: control (<i>n</i> = 6), LLLT (<i>n</i> = 18), and LED therapy (<i>n</i> = 18), with each therapy applied at 2, 4, and 6-minutes durations. LLLT used invisible infrared gallium arsenide phosphide (Ga–As–P) laser diode (940 nm, 50 mW, 6 J/cm²), while LED therapy employed visible red LEDs (660 nm, 89 mW, 10 J/cm²). Osteoclastic activity was evaluated using tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and resorption pit area analysis after 72 hours. Statistical analysis was done with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) test. Results: Both LLLT and LED therapy significantly reduced TRAP-positive cell counts and resorption pit areas. LED therapy demonstrated superior efficacy over LLLT at all exposure times, with the most notable reduction observed at 6 minutes (TRAP-positive cells: 45 ± 4; resorption pit area: 0.5 ± 0.1 mm²; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Specifically, LED therapy reduced TRAP-positive cell counts by 63% compared to the control (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and resorption pit areas by 72% at the 6-minute mark. LLLT showed a progressive decrease in TRAP-positive cells from 97 ± 8 at 2 minutes to 82 ± 7 at 6 minutes, while LED therapy achieved significantly lower values at corresponding times (e.g., TRAP-positive cells at 4 minutes: 63 ± 5 for LED vs 89 ± 7 for LLLT; <i>p</i> < 0.01). Conclusion: LED therapy is more effective than LLLT in reducing osteoclastic activity on titanium disks. This suggests LED therapy’s potential for enhancing bone stability around implants and improving clinical outcomes. Future research should validate these results <i>in vivo</i> and explore optimal parameters for both therapies. How to cite this article: Selvam D, Rengasamy V. Efficacy of Low-level Laser Therapy and Light-emitting Diode Therapy in Modulating Osteoclastic Activity on Titanium Disk: An <i>In Vitro</i> Study. Int J Prosthodont Restor Dent 2024;14(4):202–207.