INTRODUCTION
Dental fear and phobia are highly prevalent in adults worldwide. Generally, this fear can be linked to trauma and is directly associated with dental care. Anxious patients have lower treatment adherence, which can lead to oral health issues and reduced quality of life [1,2]. Pain is commonly cited as the primary reason for this fear, with local anesthetic injection being the procedure most dreaded by patients [3,4].
The pterygomandibular is a challenging technique. Some students and novice professionals may struggle to identify anatomical landmarks accurately. Additionally, anatomical variations of the mandibular foramen can sometimes occur. Consequently, it is frequent to repeat or supplement anesthesia, increasing patient fear.
Other techniques have been developed to alleviate pain puncture. However, there is currently no standardized injection method or established protocol [5,6,7].
Photobiomodulation is a technique that employs low-level lasers for therapeutic purposes, serving as a complementary therapy across multiple health specialties [8,9]. In dentistry, it can be applied to many procedures, but its most effective effect is on pain management. This technique is safe and lacks contraindications or adverse effects. Some wavelengths were tested for this protocol [10,11,12,13,14,15], however, the lack of evidence on this topic, highlights the need for randomized and controlled clinical trials.
This study aims to provide a case report detailing the use of photobiomodulation as an adjunct for pain control during pterygomandibular puncture.