Introduction Apthous ulcers frequently referred as lsquocanker soresrsquo are one of the most prevalent ulcerative lesions of the oral mucosa. These are more often painful and are coupled with redness and occasional bleeding.Aims The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the clinical effects of the administration of low-level laser therapy LLLT and a topical corticosteroid in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis RAS.Methods A total of 28 patients who presented with aphthous ulcers were recruited for the study. Out of the 28 patients who initially began treatment only 20 were included in the study. These 20 patients were randomly divided into Group I and Group II. Patients treated with LLLT were included in Group I while those treated with topical corticosteroid were in Group II. Clinical evaluations were carried during all the sessions and pain intensity was recorded before and after the therapy. Unpaired t-test was applied to evaluate the comparison between Group I and Group II.Results Intra group comparison revealed statistically highly significant reduction in both the parameters both in Group I and Group II. On intergroup comparison the LLLT group exhibited a statistically significant reduction in pain based on VAS scores compared to the steroid group on day 1 and 2. However on 3rd day statistically non-significant difference was observed. Likewise the mean reduction in ulcer size was assessed to evaluate the effectiveness of laser therapy in improving lesion size. The LLLT group revealed a statistically significant decline in pain but a non-significant difference was noted between the efficacies of two agents in terms of reduction in the size of the lesion.Conclusion In the present study LLLT used as a mode of treatment for managing minor recurrent aphthous ulcers provided instantaneous pain relief.
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