RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on peri-implant bone regeneration by means of resonance frequency analysis and histologic analysis of bone-to-implant contact (BIC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into four groups of eight animals each, one control group (nonirradiated animals) and three experimental groups that received LLLT (group E5 = 5 J per session; group E10 = 10 J per session; group E20 = 20 J per session). The mandibular left incisor was surgically extracted in all animals, and a nanoparticle-treated-surface osseointegrated implant was placed immediately afterward. The experimental groups were irradiated with aluminum-gallium-arsenide laser diode every 48 hours over a 13-day period for a total of seven sessions. Implant stability quotients (ISQs) were measured at the time of implant placement and 30 days after the last LLLT session. The animals were then euthanized and dissected, and histologic slides of the implant region were obtained for BIC evaluation. RESULTS: Significant differences in ISQ were detected between groups before and after LLLT, with group E20 showing significantly higher values than controls. The percentage of BIC was also significantly higher in group E20 than in control animals. CONCLUSION: Laser therapy at a dose of 20 J per treatment session, based on the irradiation protocol used in this study, was able to significantly increase ISQ values and BIC after implant placement, indicating that laser irradiation effected an improvement in peri-implant bone healing.