One-on-One An Interview with Dr. Paul Homoly Simply Beautiful A ...

peared to be completely coated with
epithelium (a variety of thicknesses)
and did not hurt during normal function,
then I considered the wound
“healed,” though deeper epithelium
and fibrous tissue had not made its
full histological restoration. As mentioned
above, only half the patients
in the two groups participated in
post-treatment exams. The other half
of the patients were interviewed by
phone (e.g., “Did the lesion appear
covered? Was it comfortable?”).
<strong>One</strong> day after laser exposure, 49.3
percent of the LASER group’s lesions
had resolved sufficiently to be classified
as “healed.” After two days, 37.7
percent were “healed.” After three
days, another 2.9 percent of lesions
healed, followed by 4.3 percent on
the fourth day. The remaining 5+
percent of lesions healed within the
next three days. The larger lesions,
and those which were reinjured (epithelium
scraped off), were associated
with longer healing times.
All patients reported pain as the
main symptom of their lesions. An
open ulcer, especially in the mouth,
was quite painful in 100 percent of
the patient sample. No mention as to
the expectation of comfort (reduced
pain) was made to the patients in
an effort to reduce the placebo effect.
When I asked, just after treatment,
“How do you feel?” (I did not
mention “pain” or “comfort”), twenty
percent of the patients volunteered
that their pain was “gone.” On the
following day (24 hours later), 73.3
percent of the patients reported absence
of pain. On the third day post
treatment, 6.7 percent of the patients
reported to be pain-free. Over 90 percent
of the patients reported to be
comfortable (pain-free) one day after
laser exposure. This contrasted significantly
with findings in the CON-
TROL group, 90 percent of whom
complained of some pain for at least
five days. The LASER group had individuals
who reinjured their lesions
during biting and eating. These patients
understandably had a longer
recovery period.
“
The important issue in this study is whether
the oral lesions, no matter what their cause,
could be helped, from the patients’ viewpoint
(i.e., elimination of pain and infirmity), by
laser exposure. This study substantially
demonstrates a positive effect of low-level
laser treatment. Though perception of pain
and ‘comfort’ can be influenced by the placebo
or waking hypnosis effect (up to 33 percent),
the results of this study exceed this level
of positive response and demonstrates that
laser treatment for intraoral lesions is real
and not simply psychological. ”
❚❙❘ Analysis
This study analyzed 100 CONTROL
and 86 LASER patients who had intraoral
lesions from a variety of different
causes. The most common
were single aphthous stomatitis cases
with a smattering of herpetic and
trauma induced ulcers. The use of
a single 30-second exposure of red
laser light from a common