Compiled by Dr Igor Cernavin, Prosthodontist, Honorary Senior Fellow University
of Melbourne School of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Director and
Cofounder of the Asia Pacific Institute of Dental Education and Research (AIDER),
Australian representative of World Federation of Laser Dentistry (WFLD).
Sanghiri et al1. examined the effect of diode laser irradiation ( 810 nm and an output power of 2
W for 5 seconds) on crystallographic and morphologic characteristics of root canal walls after
final irrigation with either 17% EDTA or BioPure MTAD. They concluded that a diode laser in
combination with BioPure MTAD had minimum effect on the chemical properties of root canal
dentin while having good smear layer removal properties.
Santiago and coworkers2 studied the influence of soft laser treatment on the process of bone
repair after expansion of the midpalatal suture in dogs and concluded that LLLT appeared to
influence the behavior of the repair process, contributing to suture reorganization and palatal
bone osteogenesis during and after expansion.
Ghandehari et al3 compared the microleakage of glass ionomer restored cavities prepared by
Er:YAG laser or turbine and bur and concluded that there was no significant difference between
microleakage of the laser group and the conventional group. They therefore recommend that the
Er:YAG laser with its advantages in pediatric dentistry may be suggested as an alternative device
for cavity preparation.
Archilla et al.4 in an vitro study tested whether or not intracanal Nd:YAG laser irradiation would
be able to neutralize endotoxin within the human dental root canal in a single session. Their
conclusion was that a single session of intracanal Nd:YAG laser irradiation is able to neutralize
endotoxin in the dental root tissues. Endotoxins released in the dental root by Gram-negative
microorganisms can be neutralized by calcium hydroxide, when this medication is applied inside
the root canal for at least seven days so this treatment represents a significant improvement.
Melis and coworkers5 performed a review of the literature to evaluate the efficacy of low level
laser therapy (LLLT) for the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Selection criteria
included: 1) human subjects, 2) articles written in English, and 3) randomized placebo-controlled
trials. Based on the results of this review no definitive conclusions could be drawn on the
efficacy of LLLT for the treatment of TMD. Many methodological differences among the studies,
especially regarding the number and duration of laser applications and characteristics of the laser
beam (wavelength, frequency, output), do not allow for standardized guidelines for effective
treatment with LLLT. The only indication seems to be that LLLT is probably more effective for the
treatment of TMJ disorders, and less effective for the treatment of masticatory muscle disorders.
We do have to get our act together with our studies - this is our greatest down fall (I Cernavin).
Carvalho et al6 examined root surface treatment using diode laser in delayed tooth replantation
in rats using radiographic and histomorphometric analyses. They found that using high-powered
diode laser irradiation prior to delayed replantation reduced the occurrence of external root
resorption compared to no treatment or sodium fluoride treatment at up to 60 days.
Liu and coworkers7 examined the effect of Nd: YAG laser on the bond strength of 3 resin
cements to dentin (RelyX ARC, Panavia F and RelyX Unicem) and concluded that bond strength
of Panavia F and RelyX Unicem was increased and that RelyX ARC showed no obvious change.
Seet et al.8 in an article published in The Australian Endo
Journal, carried out a qualitative comparison of sonic or
laser energisation of 4% sodium hypochlorite on an
Enterococcus faecalis biofilm grown in vitro and concluded
that qualitatively, sonic or laser activation of 4% NaOCl
resulted in greater bacterial reduction compared with
syringe irrigation, with laser activation producing the
greatest overall reduction. (Good to see that the
Australian Endo Journal is finally spreading the word –
Igor).
Rodrigues et al9 examined the influence of low-intensity laser therapy on the stability of
orthodontic mini-implants in a study in rabbits and concluded that low-intensity laser was capable
of increasing stability of self-threading orthodontic mini-implants.
Usumez and coworkers10 looked at the effect on bond strength of resin cement to zirconia
ceramic when using different surface treatments. They concluded that when using the
Nd:YAG, both surface roughness of the zirconia and bond strength of the resin cement were
increased.
Luengo et al.11 evaluated micromorphological changes in tooth enamel after mechanical and
ultrafast laser preparation of surface cavities using the femtosecond laser. They used infrared
(lambda=795nm, 120fs, 1-kHz repetition rate, maximum mean power 1W) laser pulses,
machined by means of a conventional mechanical technique producing two very different
geometrical patterns : shallow rectangular cavities and deep cylindrical ones. Their findings
showed no signs of collateral damage, burning, melting, or cracks despite the far different laser
pulse energies used (ranging from 7 to 400muJ), unlike what is seen with conventional
mechanical techniques. They concluded that the femtosecond laser has the potential to become
an optimal tool for the treatment of dental decay and as an alternative to the conventional drill to
reduce mechanical damage during removal of the hard dental tissue.
Geraldo-Martins and coworkers12 looked at the influence of Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on
enamel caries prevention. Their conclusions were that energy densities of 62.5 and 125J/cm(2)
were capable of increasing the acid resistance of human enamel. The presence of water during
irradiation makes it difficult to obtain an enamel surface more resistant to acids.
Orekhova and coworkers13 proposed and interesting use for dopler flowmetry in diagnosis
of periodontal disease. The abstract is reproduced in full.
Periodontal lesions are considered a major problem in the global burden of oral diseases
due to their high frequency and negative impact on quality of life. Periodontal
inflammation is accomplished by a breakdown of microcirculatory function. Early
detection of gingival microvessel dysfunction helps diagnose and prevent the progression
of initial periodontal pathology. Doppler flowmetry is a useful tool in the diagnosis,
monitoring, prognosis and management of periodontal patients which allows access not
only of gingival blood flow but also of pulpal microcirculation. Doppler flowmeters
might help to realise the ultimate target of predictive, preventive and personalised
periodontology tailored with respect to the particular patient. This article highlights the
main working principles of laser Doppler flowmeters and the ultrasonic Doppler
flowmeters. The advances in blood flow measurement by ultrasonic flowmetry are
discussed.
Peeters et al14 examined the apical extrusion of the irrigant during laser-driven irrigation
in endodontic treatment with an Er:YAG laser and found that if the power of the laser
used is 1W for 1-2min, then the irrigation solution can be driven to the tip of the canal
without harming the apical tissues.
References
1. Saghiri, Mohammed Ali; Asgar, Kamal; Gutmann, James L; Garcia-Godoy,
Franklin; Ahmadi, Kamran; Karamifar, Kasra; Asatorian, ArmeEffect of laser irradiation on root
canal walls after final irrigation with 17% EDTA or BioPure MTAD: X-ray diffraction and SEM
analysis. Quintessence international (Berlin, Germany : 1985), 43 (10):e127-34; 2012-Nov.
2. Santiago, Vania Cristina Costa Evangelista; Piram, Adriana; Fuziy, Acacio. Effect of soft laser in
bone repair after expansion of the midpalatal suture in dogs. American journal of orthodontics
and dentofacial orthopedics : official publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, its
constituent societies, and the American Board of Orthodontics, 142 (5):615-24;
10.1016/j.ajodo.2012.05.015 2012-Nov.
3. Ghandehari, M; Mighani, G; Shahabi, S; Chiniforush, N; Shirmohammadi, Z. Comparison of
Microleakage of Glass Ionomer Restoration in Primary Teeth Prepared by Er: YAG Laser and the
Conventional Method. Journal of dentistry (Tehran, Iran), 9 (3):215-20; 2012.
4. Archilla, Jose R F; Moreira, Maria S N A; Miyagi, Sueli P H; Bombana, Antonio C; Gutknecht,
Norbert; Marques, Marcia M. Single session of Nd:YAG laser intracanal irradiation neutralizes
endotoxin in dental root dentin. Journal of biomedical optics, 17 (11):118002;
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treatment of temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review of the literature. Cranio : the
journal of craniomandibular practice, 30 (4):304-12; 2012-Oct.
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Ana Lia; Neves, Ana Christina Claro; Habitante, Sandra Marcia; Lage-Marques, Jose Luiz; Raldi,
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bond strength of 3 resin cements to dentin. Hua xi kou qiang yi xue za zhi = Huaxi kouqiang
yixue zazhi = West China journal of stomatology, 30 (5):509-13; 2012-Oct .
Seet, Aaron N; Zilm, Peter S; Gully, Neville J; Cathro,
Peter R. Qualitative comparison of sonic or laser
energisation of 4% sodium hypochlorite on an Enterococcus
faecalis biofilm grown in vitro. Australian endodontic
journal : the journal of the Australian Society of
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Melo; de Souza Araujo, Monica Tirre; Braga, Joao Paulo Viana; Nojima,
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Sari, Tugrul. Bond strength of resin cement to zirconia ceramic with different surface treatments.
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10.1007/s10103-012-1144-x 2013-Jan.
12. Geraldo-Martins, Vinicius Rangel; Lepri, Cesar Penazzo; Palma-Dibb, Regina Guenka.
Influence of Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on enamel caries prevention. Lasers in medical science,
28 (1):33-9; 10.1007/s10103-012-1056-9 2013-Jan.
13. Orekhova, Liudmila Yu; Barmasheva, Anna A. Doppler flowmetry as a tool of
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14. Peeters, Harry Huiz; Mooduto, Latief. Radiographic examination of apical extrusion
of root canal irrigants during cavitation induced by Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation: an in
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