SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF INTRACANAL WALL DENTIN -HAND VERSUS LASER TREATMENT

Conventional cleaning and shaping of root canal spaces involves the us e of hand and rotary instruments with irrigation. The procedure result s in the formation of a smear layer consisting of dentin shavings, org anic tissue remnants and microorganisms. The laser has been suggested as an aid in root canal preparation. In this study, pulsed and continu ous wave 1.06 mu m wavelength Nd:YAG lasers were used to compare their abilities to clean and shape root canal spaces to conventional method s. After preparation, the test teeth were sectioned longitudinally and examined by scanning electron microscopy. The results demonstrated th at the laser was capable of removing the smear layer in its entirety a nd could occasionally alter dentin walls.