Surface nanomorphology of human dental enamel irradiated with an Er:YAG laser

To determine the effects of Er:YAG laser irradiation on the surface nanomorphology of human dental enamel. Materials and methods: five samples of human dental enamel were divided into five groups: (a) I and II were irradiated with Er:YAG and water irrigation (12.7 J cm⁻² and 25.5 J cm⁻², respectively); (b) III and IV were Er:YAG laser irradiated and no water irrigation (12.7 J cm⁻² and 25.5 J cm⁻², respectively); (c) V or control (no laser irradiation). Nanomorphological changes were observed on 1 μm  ×  1 μm areas by AFM (contact mode and air). The partition functions and multifractal spectra were calculated. The graphical results showed that the larger the spectrum width Δα (Δα  =  α _max  −  α _min) of the multifractal spectra f(α) the more non-uniform the surface nanomorphology. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed (P  <  0.05) to distinguish significant differences between the groups. All the investigated surfaces exhibited multifractal behavior. The computational algorithm indicated that the multifractal spectra differ significantly from each other for the different groups. AFM (atomic force microscopy), the statistical surface roughness parameters, and multifractal analysis provided useful information about the surface nanomorphology and optimal surface characteristics. This approach could be extended to other enamel surfaces in order to characterize its structural 3D microrelief. (paper)