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Can light therapy shrink tonsils and ease Kids' sleep apnea?

NCT ID NCT05459935

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Alberta Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 15, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers test whether non-invasive light therapy, called photobiomodulation, can reduce tonsil size and improve sleep apnea in children. The study enrolls 64 children with enlarged tonsils and sleep apnea symptoms. Participants receive either active or sham light therapy to the tonsils. The goal is to see if this approach could be a non-surgical alternative to tonsil removal.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
photobiomodulation using a laser device
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-surgical way to treat enlarged tonsils and sleep apnea in children, avoiding the risks of surgery.
What could go wrong
This is an early study with only 64 children. The light therapy may not shrink tonsils enough or improve sleep apnea, and long-term effects are unknown.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 64 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2022

Expected to finish

Dec 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

6 to 12 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Brodsky visually graded tonsils 3/4 * patient must assent, parent must consent, to all pre and post follow up including sleep testing * patient and parent must agree to normal referral protocols regardless of participation within this study or not Exclusion Criteria: * visual indication of cancerous growth * currently under treatment (pharmacologic, other) for hypertrophic tonsils * already scheduled for surgical intervention of hypertrophic tonsils

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

obstructive sleep apnea syndrome sleep apnea syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Obstructive sleep apnea Pediatric sleep apnea Tonsils hypertrophy

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Enjoy Dental

    RECRUITING

    Edmonton, Alberta, T5X 3N5, Canada

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