Efficacy of laser application for the rehabilitation of patients with Bell's palsy

Abstract

Bell's palsy is reported as an acute peripheral paralysis of the facial nerve of unknown etiology. Its symptoms can range from mild to severe including a lack of wrinkles on the forehead, drooping eyelids of the affected side, uncontrolled tearing of the eye of the affected side, weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles, drooping of the mouth of the affected side and impaired taste. The aim of this review is to describe recent research data on the application of laser to patients with Bell's palsy. The PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched for articles published between January 2015-May 2021with the following.Keywords: Bell’s palsy, laser, physiotherapy. This review included nine articles in total; one systematic review, four randomized controlled clinical trials, three case studies and one study protocol proposal. Discussion-Conclusions: The use of laser therapies is a safe and effective method of treating patients with Bell's palsy. Low-power lasers with active Ga-Al-As material are more common than high-power lasers, with the most effective parameters being: wavelength 810-930-880nm, power 100-150mW, energy density 10J/cm², contact application to eight points of the facial nerve. Laser acupuncture and high-power lasers are also effective.