Periodontitis, an oral disease initiated by a dysbiotic dental biofilm, has an unclear response to photobiomodulation (PBM) as an adjunctive treatment. This study investigates the effects of PBM on reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers in a periodontitis model using C57BL/6 mice, divided into four groups: control (C), control + PBM (C + PBM), periodontitis (P), and periodontitis + PBM (P + PBM). An infrared diode laser (808 nm, 133.3 J/cm2, 4 J/session) was applied for three days. PBM reduced superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, and apoptosis in gingival cells, while decreasing systemic inflammation and protein oxidation. In the P + PBM group, pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-12p70 decreased, whereas IL-10 increased, suggesting improvements in oxidative stress and inflammation profiles.
Keywords: PBM; flow cytometry; mice; oxidative stress; periodontitis; photobiomodulation; reactive oxygen species.