Comparative clinical efficacy of photobiomodulation therapy and topical corticosteroids for oral lichen planus
Abstract
Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disorder impacting quality of life; this randomized, single-blind trial compared photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) versus topical corticosteroids (TCS) for symptomatic OLP. Sixty patients received PBMT (660 nm, 4 J/cm², thrice weekly) or 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide (thrice daily) for 4 weeks, with assessments at baseline, weeks 2, 4 and 8. At week 4, PBMT showed superior pain reduction (VAS: 4.2±0.8 vs. 3.1±0.9, p=0.002), greater lesion severity improvement (TSS reduction: 2.8±0.7 vs. 2.1±0.8, p=0.005) and higher clinical response (70% vs. 50%, p=0.031). PBMT maintained pain reduction advantage at week 8 (p=0.018) with no adverse events, while 10% of TCS patients reported mild irritation. Thus, PBMT demonstrates superior efficacy and safety over TCS for OLP management.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Oral Health Pathology and Treatment
Laser Applications in Dentistry and Medicine
Oral health in cancer treatment
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Bioinformation
- Publisher
- Biomedical Informatics
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1522–1527
- Publication date
- 31 March 2026
- Language
- EN