Advances in bone surgery: the Er:YAG laser in oral surgery and implant dentistry

Morphological and Ultrastructural Comparative Analysis of Bone Tissue After Er:YAG Laser and Surgical Drill Osteotomy

“…Moreover, the welldefined edges of the preparation and the unique surface without the smear layer produced by Er:YAG laser ablation may potentially enhance the adhesion of blood elements at the start of the healing process. 8 Namely, it has already been reported that the smear layer may act as a barrier preventing blood element interaction with the underlying tissue, resulting in a prolonged healing process. 28 …”

“…2,5,6 The erbium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Er:YAG) laser, which emits radiation of wavelength 2.94 lm, is strongly absorbed in water and hydroxyapatite, causing photothermal reaction and photoablation. 6,7 Because of many advantages such as narrow and precise cut geometry, reduced risk of adjacent tissue injury, high bactericidal and detoxification effect, absence of massive bone four and metal abrasion, reduced tissue bleeding, and absence of vibration during procedures, 6,8 the Er:YAG laser has been reported as suitable for clinical bone surgery. 7 Moreover, by using short-pulse Er:YAG laser systems with water irrigation, it is possible to cut bone more rapidly, 8,9 and without significant thermal damage of the surrounding tissue (charring or necrosis).…”

“…6,7 Because of many advantages such as narrow and precise cut geometry, reduced risk of adjacent tissue injury, high bactericidal and detoxification effect, absence of massive bone four and metal abrasion, reduced tissue bleeding, and absence of vibration during procedures, 6,8 the Er:YAG laser has been reported as suitable for clinical bone surgery. 7 Moreover, by using short-pulse Er:YAG laser systems with water irrigation, it is possible to cut bone more rapidly, 8,9 and without significant thermal damage of the surrounding tissue (charring or necrosis). Consequently, wound healing is comparable to or even faster than osteotomies performed with drills or oscillating saws.…”

“…One of the reasons is the lack of studies on the characteristics of the bone tissue irradiated at different physical laser parameters. 8 The aim of the present study was to analyze the morphological, chemical, and crystallographic characteristics of bone tissue after Er:YAG laser ablation and low-speed pilot drill osteotomy using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), and x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD).…”

High peak power Q-switched Er:YAG laser with two polarizers and its ablation performance for hard dental tissues

“…In order to avoid the thermal damages, a watercooling spray must be used during surgery [8,9]. However, the high peak power and short pulse width (nanosecond) of a Q-switched laser can very effectively prevent the thermal damage [10]. Therefore, it is important to develop a high-energy high-peak-power Qswitched Er:YAG laser for the treatment of hard tissue diseases.…”