Abstract
Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is a well-accepted biocompatible material used in the repair of bony defects of the oral cavity and jawbone. Low reactive-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been reported as accelerating the repair of bone fractures, and in controlling side-effects from the inflammatory reaction such as oedema. The present study examines the effects of hemilateral He-Ne laser irradiation (632.8 nm, 6 mW, 10 min, daily for 4 days) on HAP implants in bilateral artificially-created defects in the rabbit mandible. The contralateral unirradiated side served as control. At 21 days postimplantation macroscopically and microscopically the irradiated implants showed better bonding with the surrounding bone margins, and a greater degree of osteogenesis than the unirradiated implants, which tended to be loose, or to have totally dislodged. It was concluded that, with pathways and mechanisms as yet not fully understood, LLLT controlled the inflammatory response to the HAP implant resulting in better implant bonding and osteogenesis at the implant borders.
