Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare intrapulpal temperature increase produced by high-speed handpiece, Er:YAG laser and CVDentus ultrasound tips during cavity preparation. Thirty bovine mandibular incisors with an enamel/dentin thickness of 4 mm at buccal surface had their roots amputated and were allocated to the following groups (n=10): Group I- high-speed handpiece; Group II- noncontact Er:YAG laser (250 mJ/4Hz); and Group III- CVDentus ultrasouns tips. All devices were used with water cooling. Class V cavities were prepared to a depth of 3.5 mm, measured with a periodontal probe. A type T thermocouple was placed inside the pulp chamber to determine the temperature increase (°C), which was recorded by a data acquisition system ADS 2000 IP (Lynx Technology) linked to a notebook computer. Data were analyzed statistically by oneway ANOVA and Tukey's test (p=0.05). The mean temperature rises were: 1.10°C (±0.56) for Group I, 0.84°C (±0.55) for Group II, and 3.00°C (± 1.34) for Group III. There were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) between Groups I and II, but both of them differed significantly from Group III (p<0.05). In conclusion, the use of Er:YAG laser and high-speed handpiece for cavity preparation resulted in similar temperature increase. Although ultrasound tips generated significantly higher intrapulpal temperature increase, it remained below the critical value of 5.5°C and may be considered safe for use.
Highlights
During cavity preparation and caries removal, some care is necessary to avoid thermally induced damage to pulpal tissues because teeth undergoing an intrapulpal temperature rise of 5.5°C can be irreversibly damaged[31]
These disadvantages led to the search for new techniques for hard dental tissue removal, such as lasers and ultrasound tips, which would make treatment less painful to patients, with no need of local anesthesics[15,33]
Because of the risk of thermal aggression to the pulp during cavity preparation as a result of the heat generated during the procedure[3,24,27,29,34] and in view of the variety of currently available cavity preparation techniques, the aim of this study was to compare intrapulpal temperature increase produced by high-speed handpiece, Er:YAG laser and CVDentus ultrasound tips during the preparation of bovine teeth
Summary
During cavity preparation and caries removal, some care is necessary to avoid thermally induced damage to pulpal tissues because teeth undergoing an intrapulpal temperature rise of 5.5°C can be irreversibly damaged[31]. The irritating noise, uncomfortable vibration and pain during cavity preparation with high-speed handpieces are unpleasant for the patients. These disadvantages led to the search for new techniques for hard dental tissue removal, such as lasers and ultrasound tips, which would make treatment less painful to patients, with no need of local anesthesics[15,33]. The changes in tissue are largely due to the absorbed energy, which is a thermal process[1]. Er:YAG laser has been investigated since the end of 1980s and, because of its mechanical ablation process by microexplosion, it has offered new perspectives for enamel and dentin removal without significant adverse thermal effects[12,14,32]
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