Removal of carious dentin by Er : YAC laser irradiation with and without Carisolv (TM)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness o f caries removal by using an Er:YAG laser irradiation with and without Cari solv (TM), in vitro. Background Data: Effective ablation of dental hard tis sues using Er:YAG Laser has been reported and its application to caries rem oval has been expected. Methods: Five extracted human teeth were selected f or Carisolv (TM) and burr treatment. One-half of the lesion was treated wit h the Carisolv (TM) and then removed. The other half was removed using burr treatment. Fifty teeth were subjected to Er:YAG laser treatment with and w ithout Carisolv (TM). First, Carisolv (TM) was applied on one-half of each carious lesions for 1 min and followed by the Er:YAG laser irradiation at 6 0-140 mJ, 2 Hz for another 1 min; the other half was treated with Er:YAG la ser only. The cavity was carefully assessed by DIAGNOdent. Each lesion was photographed before and after treatment, and the treated cavity was observe d by microscopy and with scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results: Our r esults revealed that application of Carisolv (TM) followed by Er:YAG laser irradiation at 100-140 mJ pulse energy effectively removed dentin caries. F rom the SEM study, it was found that the cavity surface treated with the la ser revealed various patterns of microirregularity, often accompanied by mi crofissure propagation. There was also no smear layer. Conclusions: It was revealed that Er:YAG laser and Carisolv (TM) could provide an alternative t echnique for caries removal for conventional mechanical drilling and cuttin g.