Effects of PBM on Fixed-appliance Orthodontic Patients

June 23, 2026 updated by: Zhiyi Shan, The University of Hong Kong

Effects of Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBM) on Dental and Periodontal Health of Patients Undergoing Fixed-appliance Orthodontic Treatment

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of photobiomodulation therapy (PBM) on the dental and periodontal health of patients undergoing fixed-appliance orthodontic treatment, including orthodontically induced root resorption, orthodontic pain, space closing rate, and dental microbiome profile in dental plaques.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Photobiomodulation therapy (PBM) is a non-invasive, adjunctive medical treatment that has promising effects on various dental and oral conditions, including controlling inflammation, promoting wound healing, and relieving pain. While animal studies have explored PBM therapy in orthodontics for accelerating tooth movement, preventing root resorption, alleviating pain, and controlling periodontal inflammation, clinical studies with high-quality evidence remain limited. Therefore, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to investigate the effects of a portable PBM device on the dental and periodontal health of patients undergoing fixed-appliance orthodontic treatment. This two-arm RCT will be conducted with a triple-blinded and parallel study design in a 1:1 ratio. Fifty orthodontic patients will be recruited at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital following the eligibility criteria from Jan. 2024 to Jan. 2026 (24 months) and evenly distributed to the two arms. Randomization and allocation will be conducted by a statistician who will not participate in the intervention and outcome assessment process using computer software. Participants in the PBM group will be required to wear a PBM device, while those in the control group will receive a sham device with an identical appearance to the PBM device but without light irradiation. All participants must wear their assigned device daily for 8 minutes (4 minutes for the upper and lower dental arches each) after brushing their teeth during the process of fixed-appliance orthodontic treatment. The allocation sequences will be concealed in a batch of opaque envelopes. Patients and the outcome assessor will be blinded to the allocation sequence. This protocol is proposed in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the ICH-Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guideline. The study will be conducted and reported according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guideline. Written consent will be obtained from all subjects.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Hong Kong
    • Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
        • The University of Hong Kong

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients aged between 18 and 35 years old with permanent dentition
  2. Patients who undertake orthodontic treatment using fixed appliances
  3. Patients who require extraction of premolars in either their upper or lower dental arch
  4. Patients who have fair oral hygiene habits
  5. Patients who are systemically healthy

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients with generalized dental caries and severe chronic periodontitis in stages III and IV
  2. Patients with congenital or severe craniofacial anomalies which necessitate orthognathic surgery
  3. Patients with physical or mental impairment, and those who smoke or undertake systemic medications
  4. Patients with current root resorption at any of the teeth
  5. Patients with endodontic treatment and/or large restorations on premolars to be extracted

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: PBM group
wear PBM device daily during the fixed-appliance orthodontic treatment
Device: photobiomodulation therapy
Patients in the PBM group will be delivered a portable PBM device (PBM Healing Ortho) at the beginning of orthodontic treatment and will be instructed to use it daily at home for 8 minutes (4 min per arch) after tooth brushing.
Other: orthodontic fixed-appliance
All eligible patients will receive orthodontic treatment with a pre-adjusted fixed appliance (0.022'' × 0.028'' slot system, MBT, 3M Unitek) provided by the same practitioner. At the start of treatment, a cantilever auxiliary arch bent with a 0.017'' × 0.025'' Stainless Steel wire (3M Unitek) will be used to apply a 100 g intrusion force to the premolars that will be extracted in 3 months. All other teeth will undergo regular orthodontic treatment with a standard archwire protocol (0.014'' NiTi, 0.016'' NiTi, 0.018'' NiTi, 0.017'' × 0.025'' NiTi, 0.019'' × 0.025'' NiTi, and 0.019'' × 0.025'' SS, 0.019'' × 0.025'' TMA) for alignment, leveling, space closure, detailing, and finishing. For en masse retraction, a 150 g force will be applied by coil springs, allowing bracket slots to slide along the 0.019'' × 0.025'' SS.
Sham Comparator: Control group
wear sham device daily during the fixed-appliance orthodontic treatment
Other: orthodontic fixed-appliance
All eligible patients will receive orthodontic treatment with a pre-adjusted fixed appliance (0.022'' × 0.028'' slot system, MBT, 3M Unitek) provided by the same practitioner. At the start of treatment, a cantilever auxiliary arch bent with a 0.017'' × 0.025'' Stainless Steel wire (3M Unitek) will be used to apply a 100 g intrusion force to the premolars that will be extracted in 3 months. All other teeth will undergo regular orthodontic treatment with a standard archwire protocol (0.014'' NiTi, 0.016'' NiTi, 0.018'' NiTi, 0.017'' × 0.025'' NiTi, 0.019'' × 0.025'' NiTi, and 0.019'' × 0.025'' SS, 0.019'' × 0.025'' TMA) for alignment, leveling, space closure, detailing, and finishing. For en masse retraction, a 150 g force will be applied by coil springs, allowing bracket slots to slide along the 0.019'' × 0.025'' SS.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Orthodontic-induced inflammatory root resorption (OIIRR)
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months after intrusive force loading
Record OIIRR by calculating the volume of craters on the root surfaces of the extracted tooth using a standard micro-CT machine after 3 months following intrusions by cantilever auxiliary arch.
baseline, 3 months after intrusive force loading

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Orthodontic pain
Time Frame: baseline, immediately after fixed appliance placement and immediately after adjustment every month during the first year of regular orthodontic treatment
Record orthodontic pain monthly since the beginning of regular orthodontic treatment by patients' self-registration on a 100-millimetre Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). 0 means "no pain", 100 means "worst pain", the higher the score, the more severe the pain. In addition, 5-millilitre unstimulated saliva samples will be collected from each participant with the same time scheme for evaluation of pain-related biomarkers.
baseline, immediately after fixed appliance placement and immediately after adjustment every month during the first year of regular orthodontic treatment
Space closure by en masse retraction
Time Frame: every month from the start of space closure to the end of closure, taking into account the very slow closure of space, assessed up to 12 months
Record the duration of the space closure by calculating the rate of tooth movement (mm/mo) with physically measurement. In addition, gingival crevicular fluid samples will be collected from the two space-neighbouring teeth to analyse bone-related biomarkers.
every month from the start of space closure to the end of closure, taking into account the very slow closure of space, assessed up to 12 months
Microbiome profile in dental plaques
Time Frame: baseline, every 3 months from the start of regular orthodontic treatment to the end of treatment process
Samples of supragingival and subgingival plaques will proceed to 16S rRNA sequencing for analysis of microbiome profiles, and q-PCR for evaluating bacterial loads of some critical pathogens for dental caries and periodontitis.
baseline, every 3 months from the start of regular orthodontic treatment to the end of treatment process

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The University of Hong Kong

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Zhiyi Shan, The University of Hong Kong

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 20, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 1, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 29, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 10, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 23, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • PBMRR-HKU-143

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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