The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the effects of high intensity
laser therapy (HILT) and
low level laser therapy (
LLLT) on the treatment of patients with
Bell's palsy. Forty-eight patients participated in and completed this study. The mean age was 43 ± 9.8 years. They were randomly assigned into three groups: HILT group,
LLLT group, and exercise group. All patients were treated with facial
massage and exercises, but the HILT and
LLLT groups received the respective
laser therapy. The grade of facial recovery was assessed by the facial disability scale (FDI) and the House-Brackmann scale (HBS). Evaluation was carried out 3 and 6 weeks
after treatment for all patients.
Laser treatments included eight points on the affected side of the face three times a week for 6 successive weeks. FDI and HBS were used to assess the grade of recovery. The scores of both FDI and HBS were taken before as well as 3 and 6 weeks
after treatment. The Friedman test and Wilcoxon signed ranks test were used to compare the FDI and HBS scores within each group. The result showed that both HILT and
LLLT significantly improved the recovery of patients with
Bell's palsy. Moreover, HILT was the most effective treatment modality compared to
LLLT and
massage with exercises. Thus, both HILT and
LLLT are effective
physical therapy modalities for the recovery of patients with
Bell's palsy, with HILT showing a slightly greater improvement than
LLLT.