Randomization and blinding
tooth
BLIND
Simple randomization (randomization by envelopes), to decide which region would be operated first, was performed. The designation "X" was used for the lower left third molar (38), and "Y" for the lower right third molar (48). Simple randomization for the groups was also performed using the designation "A1" for the test group that would receive the low-power laser application and “B1” for the placebo group that would receive only the low-power laser placebo.Randomization was carried out in two stages, (Stage 1) (selecting which tooth would be operated on), and following the surgical procedure (Stage 2) was carried out to select to which group that tooth should be allocated. The patients did not know which group their surgery was allocated to, and the patient was blinded by passing through a simulated laser application (in the same way) as in the test group, using a stopwatch following the same application times and equipment sound simulation (with sound recorded by cell phone) so that the patient would be unaware of any difference between the protocols of the groups. The surgeon was responsible for all surgical procedures and was not informed as to which group each surgery was allocated to, being thus totally blinded during the process. The researcher responsible for the statistics was also blind as to which group the data belonged to and followed the same randomization group designations “X” and “Y” as used in the analysis.