Abstract
Studies have shown the cariostatic effect of Er,Cr:YSGG (2.78 μm) laser irradiation on human enamel and have suggested its use on caries prevention. However there are still no reports on the intrapulpal temperature increase during enamel irradiation using parameters for caries prevention. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the temperature variation in the pulp chamber during human enamel irradiation with Er,Cr:YSGG laser at different energy densities. Fifteen enamel blocks obtained from third molars (3 x 3 x 3 mm) were randomly assigned to 3 groups (n=5): G1 – Er,Cr:YSGG laser 0.25 W, 20 Hz, 2.84 J/cm2, G2 – Er,Cr:YSGG laser 0.50 W, 20 Hz, 5.68 J/cm2, G3 – Er,Cr:YSGG laser 0.75 W, 20 Hz, 8.52 J/cm2. During enamel irradiation, two thermocouples were fixed in the inner surface of the specimens and a thermal conducting paste was used. One-way ANOVA did not show statistically significant difference among the experimental groups (α=0.05). There was intrapulpal temperature variation ≤0.1°C for all irradiation parameters. In conclusion, under the tested conditions, the use of Er,Cr:YSGG laser with parameters set for caries prevention lead to an acceptable temperature increase in the pulp chamber.
Highlights
The effectiveness of laser irradiation as a caries preventive treatment is closely related to the light interaction with some of the enamel compounds[10,16,19,23]
When the surface temperature increases between 100 and 650°C, the main chemical changes that occur in the tooth are that the major CO component in the phosphate position decreases and the acid phosphate ions condense to form pyrophosphate ions
The present study aimed to evaluate the temperature increase at the pulp chamber during enamel irradiation with Er,Cr:YSGG laser at sub-ablative parameters
Summary
The effectiveness of laser irradiation as a caries preventive treatment is closely related to the light interaction with some of the enamel compounds[10,16,19,23]. Er,Cr:YSGG laser has been reported to ablate dental hard tissues with minimal injury to the pulp and surrounding tissues[9]; it can ablate enamel effectively due to its high absorption in water[22] and because it is strongly absorbed by the hydroxyl radicals present in the hydroxyapatite structure[12,16,18]. For caries prevention, Er,Cr:YSGG laser does not ablate the surface, but rather change the enamel chemically by enhancing its surface temperature. Enamel chemical alterations occur gradually with the increase of temperature[12,15]. When the surface temperature increases between 100 and 650°C, the main chemical changes that occur in the tooth are that the major CO component in the phosphate position decreases and the acid phosphate ions condense to form pyrophosphate ions.
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