Analysis 'in vivo' of the employ of the Er:YAG laser and conventional method to remove carious tissue

The aim of this study was to evaluate the removal of carious tissue employing the use of Er:YAG laser in comparison with the conventional burr rotary instrument. The wavelength of this laser is 2,64 μm and have a good absorption by the water and hydroxyapatite present in dental hard tissue. For this purpose were selected 24 molar teeth with occlusal carious, which were divided in random in two groups. For enamel, the laser energy used was in the interval from 250 mJ to 400 mJ, and the frequency range from 2 Hz to 4 Hz; for the dentine the energy laser range was from 150 mJ to 200 mJ and the laser frequency was in the range from 2 Hz to 6 Hz. For the evaluation of the results was used a questionaire to critical evaluation of the professional and another one to evaluation of the patient. The results have shown that the Er:YAG laser is able to remove carious enamel and dentin, without cause crunch or fracture and the irradiated surface was creasy. The patients reported greatest comfort when the cavity preparation was done with the Er:YAG laser than the conventional burr and all the patients treated reported prefer to future treatments the use of the Er:YAG laser. In conclusion, for the critical evaluation of the professional the treatment with the Er:YAG laser is a safe and effective method, and for the critical evaluation of the patient the treatment is one alternative more comfortable than the conventional method to remove caries. (author)