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Permanent and transient changes in the reflectance of CO 2 laser‐irradiated dental hard tissues at λ = 9.3, 9.6, 10.3, and 10.6 μm and at fluences of 1–20 J/cm 2
Author(s) -
Fried Daniel,
Glena Richard E.,
Featherstone John D. B.,
Seka Wolf
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9101(1997)20:1<22::aid-lsm4>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - irradiation , transient (computer programming) , reflectivity , laser , materials science , optics , dentistry , nuclear medicine , medicine , physics , nuclear physics , computer science , operating system
Background and Objective Effective use of lasers for preventive dental treatments requires accurate knowledge of the amount and distribution of laser energy deposited during irradiation. At CO 2 wavelengths, the reflection losses are considerable and reduce the laser energy absorbed by the tissue surface. Study Design/Materials and Methods The specular and diffuse reflectance of enamel and dentin were measured at the 10.6‐, 10.3‐, 9.6‐, and 9.3‐μm wavelengths of the CO 2 laser. Changes in reflectance during and after laser irradiation were investigated. Results The low‐fluence reflectance (<1 J/cm 2 ) of calcified dental tissues at CO 2 wavelengths varies between 9% and 50%. Permanent and transient changes in the reflectance are induced at higher irradiation intensities. Conclusion These changes resulted in increased energy coupling during irradiation. Lasers Surg Med 20:22–31, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.