Removal of Carious Dentin by Er:YAG Laser Irradiation with and without Carisolv™

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of caries removal by using an Er:YAG laser irradiation with and without Carisolv™, in vitro. Background Data: Effective ablation of dental hard tissues using Er:YAG laser has been reported and its application to caries removal has been expected. Methods: Five extracted human teeth were selected for Carisolv™ and burr treatment. One-half of the lesion was treated with the Carisolv™ and then removed. The other half was removed using burr treatment. Fifty teeth were subjected to Er:YAG laser treatment with and without Carisolv™. First, Carisolv™ was applied on one-half of each carious lesions for 1 min and followed by the Er:YAG laser irradiation at 60-140 mJ, 2 Hz for another 1 min; the other half was treated with Er:YAG laser only. The cavity was carefully assessed by DIAGNOdent. Each lesion was photographed before and after treatment, and the treated cavity was observed by microscopy and with scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results: Our results revealed that application of Carisolv™ followed by Er:YAG laser irradiation at 100-140 mJ pulse energy effectively removed dentin caries. From the SEM study, it was found that the cavity surface treated with the laser revealed various patterns of microirregularity, often accompanied by microfissure propagation. There was also no smear layer.Conclusions: It was revealed that Er:YAG laser and Carisolv™ could provide an alternative technique for caries removal for conventional mechanical drilling and cutting.