Photobiomodulation for temporomandibular disorders: A scoping review of laser-parameter reporting in controlled trials

OBJECTIVE: To map the controlled-trial evidence on photobiomodulation (PBM) for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), chart the laser dosimetric parameters, quantify reporting completeness, and identify standardization priorities. METHODS: Scoping review per JBI methodology, reported per PRISMA-ScR, and registered on the Open Science Framework (project hdz53). PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL and CDSR), Lens.org, LILACS, and SciELO were searched from inception to July 21 2026. Eligible reports were randomized or non-randomized controlled trials in humans with TMD receiving PBM over the temporomandibular joint or masticatory muscles; reviews, uncontrolled designs, high-intensity or ablative laser, photodynamic therapy, and acupoint-only irradiation were excluded. Records were de-duplicated and screened independently by two reviewers in two stages, with third-reviewer arbitration. Ten dosimetric parameters were charted verbatim, omissions being the primary datum. RESULTS: Of 1,733 records, 1,060 were screened after de-duplication and 462 reports were sought; 215 were not retrieved and 247 were assessed at full text. One hundred seventy‑five controlled trials (165 randomized) formed the evidence map, and 167 with an accessible full report were charted; all reporting-completeness proportions are of those 167. Wavelength and session number were reported in 159/167 trials (95%), power density in 20/167 (12%), and total delivered energy in 24/167 (14%). Only 31/167 (19%) reported every element of a minimum reproducibility set, 45/167 (27%) were non-reproducible, and protocols differed substantially within device families. CONCLUSION: Controlled trials of PBM for TMD describe the laser incompletely for the delivered dose to be reconstructed. A minimum reporting set, enforced at publication, is a critical step toward reproducible protocols.