Discussion
postoperative pain, chemosensory disorders, loss of taste sensation, edema, chemosensory deficits, ageusia, COVID-19 infection, orofacial pain, Loss of taste (, taste and smell Sensation dysfunctions, chemosensory disturbances, ’ comorbidities
DEPIGMENTATION, TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS, INFLAMMATION, EDEMA, COVID-19 INFECTION
Despite the development of a vaccine that helped contain the pandemic, healthcare providers still face the ongoing spread of SARS-Cov-2 globally with unprecedented COVID-19-related symptoms and morbidity. Many reports have documented a high incidence of taste and smell Sensation dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients. Loss of taste (ageusia) is a symptom observed following recovery from COVID-19 infection [Low-level lasers have several applications in dentistry. It has been used to enhance wound healing, gingival depigmentation, acceleration of tissue regeneration, treatment of temporomandibular disorders, alleviation of chronic orofacial pain, and induction of bone regeneration. Numerous studies have demonstrated that 940 to 980 nm diode laser wavelengths effectively reduce postoperative inflammation, enhance wound healing, and accelerate tissue regeneration.This study presents the diode laser 940 as a potential treatment for the loss of taste sensation in COVID patients. The diode laser 940 had an energy density of 4 J/cm2, which is considered the minimal energy density necessary for postoperative pain relief, anti-inflammatory effect, and edema elimination [This study included 36 patients with long COVID that received either diode laser 940 or a placebo. The proposed treatment strategy brought a positive consequence to the resolution of loss of taste sensation as their results showed that patients treated with diode laser 940 have a significantly higher percentage of cases 13 (72.2%) restoring taste after one week. Moreover, patients treated with diode laser 940 have a significantly higher percentage of cases 17(94.4%) having complete restoration of taste.The patients in the present study had persistent symptoms for a mean of 1.17 ± 0.53 months in Group I and 0.93 ± 0.28 months in Group II. This could be considered a relatively short period for long COVID, lasting from 8 to 12 weeks [Moraschini et al. [The present study showed the resolution of loss of taste sensation as their results showed that patients treated with diode laser 940 have a significantly higher percentage of cases 13(72.2%) restoring taste after one week. Rochmawati and Kamilah [The use of low level laser improved cellular metabolism by stimulating photoreceptors in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, releasing growth factors, and changing cellular ATP levels [The present study had several limitations. The present study had a mean young age of participants that limited the study results to the young age group, as age had a significant role in recovery from chemosensory deficits. Moreover, the small sample size did not give enough power to show differences in other demographic data, such as smoking and patients’ comorbidities [Despite the mentioned limitations, analyzing patients’ chemosensory disorders through objective tests is a more effective technique for follow-up patients with chemosensory disturbances and avoiding possible under-or over-reporting biases.