Which of the following is a general guideline for increasing laser dosage in treatments?

Increasing laser dosage in treatments is essential for achieving optimal therapeutic outcomes, and gradually adjusting the dosage based on the patient’s response is a key practice. The recommended approach is to increase the treatment time by a consistent amount—15 seconds in this case—during each succeeding session.

This gradual increase allows for an escalation in therapeutic impact while monitoring the patient’s tolerance and response to the treatment. A 15-second increment strikes a balance between providing enough additional energy for effective treatment without overwhelming the patient’s comfort level or introducing adverse effects.

In contrast, other approaches carry risks or do not adhere to the gradual escalation required for effective healing. Increasing by 5 seconds may be too conservative and could prolong the treatment duration unnecessarily, failing to optimize the dosage effectively. Increasing dosage only if there is no pain may not be a reliable method for enhancing treatment unless baseline levels of pain were established, and this could lead to missed opportunities for improvement. Additionally, using the same dosage for every session doesn't account for the varying responses and healing progress of individual patients, thereby compromising the efficacy of the treatment.

So, incrementing the dosage by 15 seconds in each successive treatment is a well-supported guideline that facilitates effective laser therapy while ensuring patient comfort and safety.