Underexplored Areas of Photobiomodulation in Oral Oncology: An Expert Analysis

This study aimed to review the current body of literature on underexplored areas of photobiomodulation (PBM) for preventing and/or treating oral adverse events. Recent studies suggest that PBM may offer potential benefits in managing cancer-related toxicities other than oral mucositis. Nevertheless, further research to establish conclusive evidence is still missing. A panel of specialists conducted a narrative review to evaluate the evidence on PBM therapy for oral mucositis, xerostomia, dysgeusia, dysphagia, and trismus/fibrosis. Each topic was reviewed by two specialists who discussed treatment rationale, summarized current evidence, evaluated risk/benefit ratio, and identified future research directions. The current evidence suggests promising outcomes in nonroutine uses of PBM for xerostomia, dysgeusia, odynophagia, oral mucositis (extraoral PBM and the pediatric population), and trismus/fibrosis. However, the primary studies are often small and may have biases that require further evaluation, particularly regarding treatment safety. Despite the overall positive impression of PBM therapy for oral adverse events of cancer treatment, robust evidence from large multicentered studies is necessary to support its widespread clinical use.