JDR JDR Most Read Articles
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Aoki, A.
Right arrow Articles by Yamamoto, H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Aoki, A.
Right arrow Articles by Yamamoto, H.

Journal of Dental Research, Vol 77, 1404-1414, Copyright © 1998 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals

ARTICLES

Comparison between Er:YAG laser and conventional technique for root caries treatment in vitro

A. Aoki, I. Ishikawa, T. Yamada, M. Otsuki, H. Watanabe, J. Tagami, Y. Ando and H. Yamamoto
Department of Periodontology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.

Effective ablation of dental hard tissues by means of the erbium-doped:yttrium-aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser has been reported recently, and its application to caries removal and cavity preparation has been expected. However, few studies have investigated the capability of the Er:YAG laser to treat caries. In the present study, the effectiveness of caries removal by using an Er:YAG laser in vitro was compared with that of conventional mechanical treatment. Thirty-one extracted human teeth with root caries were used. Half of the caries in each tooth was treated with the Er:YAG laser, and the other was removed with a conventional bur or was left untreated as a control. Laser treatment was performed by means of a combination of contact and non-contact irradiation modes with cooling water spray, with a new fiber delivery and contact probe system. Conventional bur treatment was conducted by means of a low-speed micromotor. Measurements of the time required for caries removal, histopathological observations of decalcified serial sections, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations, and hardness measurements of the treated cavity-floor dentin were performed for each treatment. Due to the careful irradiation technique, a longer treatment time was required for the complete removal of carious dentin by the Er:YAG laser. However, the Er:YAG laser ablated carious dentin effectively with minimal thermal damage to the surrounding intact dentin, and removed infected and softened carious dentin to the same degree as the bur treatment. In addition, a lower degree of vibration was noted with the Er:YAG laser treatment. The SEM examination revealed characteristic micro-irregularities of the lased dentin surface. Our results show that the Er:YAG laser system is promising as a new technical modality for caries treatment.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Dent. Res.Home page
L. Ceballos, M. Toledano, R. Osorio, F.R. Tay, and G.W. Marshall
Bonding to Er-YAG-laser-treated Dentin
J. Dent. Res., February 1, 2002; 81(2): 119 - 122.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
IADR Journals Advances in Dental Research ®
Journal of Dental Research ® Critical Reviews (1990-2004)
Copyright © 1998 Institutional Access Guidelines