Impact of Photobiomodulation on the Clinical Outcomes of Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of photobiomodulation (PBM) on clinical outcomes when combined with nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). Materials and Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was conducted using keywords from databases such as PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science, and Scopus. Six randomized control trials assessing the clinical efficacy of adjunctive PBM, including probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL), at 3- and 6-month intervals were included. Heterogeneity was reported using the I 2 values, and the random-effects model and meta-analysis using mean and standard deviations were performed. Results: The effect size was –0.27 (confidence interval (CI): –1.01, 0.46), –0.44 (CI: –0.81, –0.06) for CAL at 3 and 6 months. Similarly, pooled effect size was –0.36 (CI: –1.85, 1.13), –0.94 (CI: –1.36, –0.52) for PPD at 3 and 6 months, suggesting that the treatment group (low-level laser) has a better outcome than the NSPT. Conclusion: Adjunctive PBM to NSPT alone has shown a CAL gain and PPD reduction.