APPLICABILITY OF LASER THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF BELL'S FACIAL PALSY

Abstract

Bell's Facial Palsy is defined as peripheral paralysis of the facial nerve, of sudden onset and idiopathic type, which can be temporary or permanent, which can cause problems for the patient, such as difficulty expressing their feelings, speaking, swallowing, in addition to psychological damage, such as stress, depression and lack of social interaction. Thus, laser therapy is an effective treatment modality, which can be used as an adjunct to conventional treatment, which uses corticosteroids and muscle physiotherapy, or can be used alone, presenting positive results in both patients with acute and chronic paralysis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the applicability, efficacy and safety of low-power laser in patients with Facial Bell's Palsy. This study consisted of an integrative review of the literature of a basic, qualitative, descriptive nature and was based on the research platforms PubMed, Scielo and Google Scholar, exploring the terms Facial Paralysis and Laser Therapy. Articles were included in the time range from 2017 to 2024 in English and Portuguese, with 13 articles being searched. The selected articles demonstrated that the low-power laser has been used as a non-invasive alternative in the treatment of Facial Bell's Palsy due to its action of increasing the amplitude of action potentials, the ability to accelerate the regeneration of nervous structures, reinnervation and survival. neuronal after axon rupture, in addition to reducing myalgia and improving facial muscle functions.