Date of Award
2016
Degree Type
Selective Evidence-Based Medicine Review
Degree Name
Master of Science in Health Sciences - Physician Assistant
Department
Physician Assistant Studies
Department Chair
John Cavenagh, MBA, PhD, PA-C
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not laser therapy is effective at relieving pain in adult patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of three randomized controlled trials published in 2009, 2009, and 2013.
DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials were obtained using PubMed.
OUTCOMES MEASURED: The symptom of pain was measured for improvement by patient survey of visual analog pain scales.
RESULTS: Prasad et al. (2013), Tezel et al. (2009), and Zand et al. (2009) all demonstrated improvement in a majority of the subjects’ pain relief from treatment with laser therapy.
CONCLUSION: Evidence to support the efficacy of laser therapy as a treatment of pain relief for recurrent aphthous stomatitis in adults is strong at this point in time, due to a relevant subject population, fixed standard of measurement, and a wide spectrum of subject age. The data strongly supports the efficacy of laser therapy as a superior method of pain relief for adult patients suffering from recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
Recommended Citation
Jackson, Kevin, "Is Laser Therapy Effective at Relieving Pain in Adult Patients with Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis?" (2016). PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship. 280.
https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/pa_systematic_reviews/280