Purpose: This study evaluated the effect of two photobiomodulation therapy protocols on bone regeneration in criticalsize bone defects grafted with inorganic bovine bone.
Materials and Methods: A critical-size defect was created in 30 adult male rat calvaria, which were divided equally and randomly into three experimental groups (n = 10): (1) DBBM (deproteinized bovine bone mineral); (2) DBBM + PBMT 4 J (4 J; photobiomodulation therapy; GaAlAs, 730 nm, 100 mW, 140 J/cm2); and (3) DBBM + PBMT 6 J (6 J; GaAlAs, 730 nm, 100 mW, 210 J/cm2). Animals were euthanized after 30 days. The neoformed bone area (NBA), linear bone extension (LBE), and area of the remaining particles (ARP) were evaluated. The data were subjected to nonparametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and ANOVA, followed by Tukey post hoc test to identify differences between the groups (P < .05).
Results: The 6 J group showed the highest average NBA (48.57% ± 28.22%) and demonstrated a statistically significant difference in NBA and LBE. A higher mean ARP was found in the DBBM group (38.73 ± 6.95) than in the groups irradiated by photobiomodulation therapy, with statistically significant differences (P < .05).
Conclusion: The 6 J protocol showed the best results, promoting greater bone formation with greater resorption of residual particles.