Pediatric dentistry
Photobiomodulation Reduces Physiological Stress and Pain During Dental Diagnostic Procedures: The UM-DANE 1 Pediatric Clinical Trial
By Dhar V, Hsu KC, Valencia MW and 4 others.
Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) in reducing physiological stress (as measured by heart rate [HR] change), self-reported pain, and anxiety during cold pulp testing and routine gingival probing in healthy school-aged children.
Methods
This prospective, randomized, split-mouth clinical trial enrolled 30 children aged 7 to 12 years at the University of Maryland pediatric dental clinics from July 2025 to January 2026. Each participant received PBMT (multiwavelength LED device, Nuralyte™) on 1 primary molar and no treatment on the contralateral control tooth. Following a 2-minute waiting period, cold testing and gingival probing were performed. Primary outcomes were HR changes from baseline measured via pulse oximetry. Secondary outcomes included self-reported pain (Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale), anxiety (0 to 10 numeric rating scale), cold perception, cooperation level (Frankl scale), and duration of analgesia. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for split-mouth comparisons.