The aim of the study was evaluate tooth movement, receptor activator of nuclear factor KB
ligand (RANKL),
osteoprotegerin (OPG), and RANKL/OPG ratio in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in compression side and
pain level during initial orthodontic tooth treatment to determine the efficacy of
low-level laser therapy (
LLLT). Ten volunteers who required
fixed appliance positioned from the upper first premolars to upper first molars were selected. For each patient, the upper first premolar of the quadrant 1 was chosen to be irradiated with a
laser diode at 670 nm, 200 mW, and 6.37 W/cm(2), applied on the distal, buccal, and lingual sides during 9 min on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7. The same procedure was applied in the first premolar of the contralateral quadrant inserting the tip but without
laser emission. Samples of GCF from the compression side of the upper first premolars to distalize were collected at baseline and after 2, 7, 30, and 45 days posttreatment for determination of RANKL and OPG by
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay. In addition, tooth movement was assessed by scanning models and
pain intensity was assessed using a visual analog scale. There was improvement in the parameters studied (
pain, tooth movement, levels of RANKL in GCF, and RANKL/OPG ratio) in the
laser group when compared to the control group, although differences were not statistically significant. The accumulated retraction of the upper premolar at 30 days was higher in the
laser group, and this difference was statistically significant between groups.
LLLT delivered in repeated doses (six times in the initial 2 weeks) leads in some extent to a slight orthodontical improvement.