The effectiveness of laser treatments for onychomycosis in adults in the community: a systematic review

Background There is growing public interest in laser therapy to treat onychomycosis, where traditional pharmaceutical options are long-term, expensive, unsuccessful, and suited to a limited demographic. Recent reviews highlighting the potential of laser therapies to offer effective, convenient, short duration treatment regimens and the need for further detailed research have not demonstrated the effectiveness of different laser types and treatment modalities. This systematic review identifies, critically appraises, synthesizes and presents the best available evidence for the effectiveness of laser treatments on onychomycosis of the nails in adults living in the community. The specific review question addressed was the following: Can laser treatment of onychomycotic nails produce outcomes comparable to the current ‘gold standard’ treatment of oral terbinafine over a minimum 12 week treatment period, for adults living in the community?