Treatment of oral mucositis with low power laser in a pediatric patient undergoing chemotherapy: case report

Abstract

This work aims to present a clinical case report of the treatment of oral mucositis with low-power laser in a pediatric patient undergoing chemotherapy. Patient, 8 years old, female, attended dental care at a Private Postgraduate Teaching Institution in Pediatric Dentistry – Serra, Espirito Santo (ES); accompanied by her mother. In anamnesis, the person responsible reported that the patient was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia and is undergoing chemotherapy. In an intraoral clinical examination, the presence of erosive areas in the lip region, ulcerated lesions on the soft palate and significant difficulty in eating and drinking fluids were observed. In order to measure pain, a visual pain scale was applied to the patient. This assessment was applied before, after low-power laser treatment and the following day. Before, the oral cavity was cleaned with 0.12% chlorhexidine for 30 seconds. After careful drying with sterile gauze, low-power laser therapy was performed. Red laser (660nm), 1J/cm2 per point, and infrared laser (808nm), 1J/cm2, were applied to two points on each side in larger lesions and one point in the center in smaller lesions. This protocol was carried out by a single operator, adopted for three consecutive days. After the laser application sessions, the patient reported a decrease in pain.

Keywords: mucositis. laser therapy. low-level light therapy. leukemia. child.