Low power laser as therapeutic alternative to idiopathic erythema multiform. Case report

Abstract

Erythema multiforme is an acute disease of the skin and/or mucous membranes of an immunologic nature, the etiology of which is unknown. Only 20% of cases occur in children. Diagnosis is based on clinical history and physical examination and treatment is not systematized. Low power laser therapy is being increasingly used in the stomatological field. The objective was to demonstrate the benefits of low power laser as a therapeutic alternative. This case corresponds to a 10-year-old patient, who came to the Department of Oral Pathology of the Faculty of Dentistry of the National University of Asuncion (UNA), referred from the General Hospital of Barrio Obrero with a history of hospitalization for presenting erosive lesions on the lips, mouth and macules on the thorax, abdomen, ears and limbs. In the intraoral examination, blackish serohematic crusts on the lips, ulcerated lesions on the tongue, floor of the mouth, hard palate and jugal mucosa. The area was washed with hydrogen peroxide, methylene blue 0.01% was applied to the affected areas for 5 minutes, and only a single session was performed for the application of the laser therapy. The patient showed great evolution 24 hours after the application of the treatment. After 8 days he was completely free of lesions and asymptomatic. The photo-biostimulation at the cellular level offered by the low power laser is a credible tool that adds to new therapeutic options.