International journal of dentistry
Clinical Effects of Photobiomodulation, Corticosteroids, and Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Following Third Molar Surgery: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials
By Alpaca Zevallos ÉA, Nogueira LLT, Ferreira AJ and 6 others.
Abstract
Objective
To systematically synthesize the effects and safety of corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and photobiomodulation, as evaluated within the comparisons available in randomized clinical trials, for controlling postoperative sequelae after third molar surgery.
Methods
This systematic review followed PRISMA 2020 and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251178943). PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched without language or publication-date restrictions. Randomized clinical trials evaluating at least one eligible intervention and reporting pain, edema, trismus, rescue medication, or adverse events were included. Risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane RoB 2, and a structured narrative synthesis was performed by intervention class, comparator type, outcome, and follow-up period.