Abstract
Antineoplastic treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, have the main objective of destroying malignant cells. However, they also affect sensitive tissues such as the oral mucosa, causing side effects including oral mucositis. This inflammatory condition can range from mild erythema to extensive, painful ulcers, affecting antineoplastic treatment, disease control, and patient survival rates. Although several measures are adopted to control this condition – including rigorous oral hygiene, cryotherapy, and the use of analgesics – many of these approaches only temporarily relieve the symptoms. In this context, the use of low-level laser therapy emerges as a promising therapeutic alternative. This non-invasive technique has the ability to penetrate soft tissues, providing pain relief while modulating inflammatory responses and accelerating healing processes. This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of low-level laser treatment in patients affected by oral mucositis. Information was collected from the National Library of Medicine (NIH-PubMed), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, EBSCO, and Google Scholar, using the descriptors oral mucositis, antineoplastic treatments, and low-level laser therapy. Inclusion criteria were scientific studies in English, published between 2020 and 2026. Duplicate articles and those not related to the topic were excluded. Studies have shown that low-level laser therapy is considered a non-invasive method and has proven to be an effective ally in the treatment of oral mucositis. It provides a faster response compared to medications, as it has the capacity to modulate inflammatory markers with a low therapeutic cost compared to medications.