6. Implant dentistry
PBM in implant dentistry
Postoperative comfort and soft-tissue healing are defensible objectives. Claims about accelerated osseointegration are not established clinical facts.
Postoperative discomfort, inflammation and peri-implant soft-tissue healing.
Inflammatory modulation and soft-tissue repair support; bone-level effects remain a research question.
Tissue and anatomical targets
- • Peri-implant mucosa
- • Flap margins
- • Extraoral projection of the surgical site
Clinical objectives
- • Postoperative discomfort modulation
- • Inflammation modulation
- • Peri-implant soft-tissue healing support
Dosimetric reasoning
- • Deeper anatomical target than periodontal soft tissue — justify wavelength by required penetration.
- • Define both intraoral and extraoral areas separately in the record.
Technique
- • Non-contact over sutures; contact extraorally.
- • Avoid mechanical load on the healing site.
Limitations
- • No substitute for decontamination or surgical management of peri-implantitis.
- • Bone-level claims exceed current clinical evidence.
- • Cannot compensate for poor primary stability or planning error.
Common errors
- • Telling patients PBM will 'make the implant integrate faster'.
- • Using PBM in place of peri-implantitis therapy.
Clinical pearls
- • Separate what evidence supports from what biology merely suggests — in the record and in the consultation.
Indications and evidence level
Biphasic dose-response, irradiance and light–tissue interaction were established there. Now apply them to this specialty's tissue thickness, vascularity and inflammatory state.
State the diagnosis and clinical objective before selecting a single parameter, and record the evidence level supporting what you tell the patient.
Eye protection for patient, operator and assistant. PBM does not remove the need for diagnosis, clinical judgment or medical coordination.
Knowledge checkpoint
Which statement may be given to a patient?
Chapter summary
- • The biological principles are unchanged; the target, objective and strategy change.
- • Etiological treatment first; PBM as adjunct where justified.
- • Only claim what the evidence level supports.
- • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on PBM in dentistry — to be curated by the academic team.
- • International PBM/laser safety guidance applicable in the institution's jurisdiction.
- • Institutional clinical protocol documentation (where authorised).
Linked educational cases
Educational content only. These algorithms are educational decision-support tools and never autonomous medical decision-makers. Clinical decisions remain the responsibility of the treating professional. Certification within OHDR Study™ is not a university award unless an authorised institution has been formally configured.