| Title |
Minimal Evidence to Demonstrate the Effects of Dental Lasers and Their Effects on the Dental Pulp |
| Clinical Question |
In a patient with caries, are dental lasers compared to rotary burs, less harmful to the pulp of the tooth being treated? |
| Clinical Bottom Line |
Even though the dental laser increased the intra-pulpal temperature more than the rotary high-speed bur, the temperature increase did not cause damage to pulp tissue. |
| Best Evidence |
|
| PubMed ID |
Author / Year |
Patient Group |
Study type
(level of evidence) |
| 18425563 | Colucci/2008 | Studies on the effects of water flow on dental tissue ablation using Er:YAG laser. | Review | | Key results | The Er:YAG laser with constant water cooling creates a minimal, reversible, and localized pulp response, which is comparable to high-speed drilling treatment. Further studies are needed in order to more fully understand the relation between dental lasers and pulp tissue. | | 18430350 | Castilho/2007 | Fourteen maxillary deciduous molars. | In vitro study | | Key results | Er:YAG laser irradiation increased the temperature of the deciduous teeth compared to the high-speed drilling treatment. The temperature increments, however, remained below the critical value (5.5 degrees C). The pulp temperature was not increased to a level that can cause irreversible damaged to pulp tissue. | |
| Evidence Search |
(("Dental High-Speed Technique"[Mesh]) AND "Lasers, Solid-State"[Mesh]) AND "Humans"[Mesh] |
Comments on
The Evidence |
The level of evidence is fair due to the fact that Colucci’s study is a Review. Castilho’s in vitro study is weak in evidence along with the fact that it only compared deciduous teeth. Clinical, in vivo, studies need to be completed to improve the comparisons between dental lasers and rotary burs in relation to intra-pulpal temperature. |
| Applicability |
In addition to not raising pulpal temperatures excessively, the Er:YAR dental laser has been shown to cause less vibration, pressure and noise than rotary preparation. This could possibly make it a good treatment option for the anxious patient affected by these factors. |
| Specialty |
(General Dentistry) (Periodontics) (Restorative Dentistry) |
| Keywords |
Dental lasers, dental pulp, rotary burs
|
| ID# |
2200 |
| Date of submission |
04/19/2012 |
| E-mail |
rayl3@livemail.uthscsa.edu |
| Author |
Lorena Ray |
| Co-author(s) |
|
| Co-author(s) e-mail |
|
| Faculty mentor |
Mark Littlestar, DDS |
| Faculty mentor e-mail |
littlestarm@uthscsa.edu |
| |
|
Basic Science Rationale
(Mechanisms that may account for and/or explain the clinical question, i.e. is the answer to the clinical question consistent with basic biological, physical and/or behavioral science principles, laws and research?) |
| None available | |
 |
Comments and Evidence-Based Updates on the CAT
(FOR PRACTICING DENTISTS', FACULTY, RESIDENTS and/or STUDENTS COMMENTS ON PUBLISHED CATs) |
| None available | |