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Pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation of the tooth pulp in the cat: I. Effect of spot lasing
Author(s) -
Tokita Yoshihiko,
Sunakawa Mitsuhiro,
Suda Hideaki
Publication year - 2000
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(2000)26:4<398::aid-lsm8>3.0.co;2-2
Subject(s) - irradiation , pulp (tooth) , antidromic , lasing threshold , dentin , laser , materials science , coronal plane , dentistry , chemistry , biomedical engineering , anatomy , optics , medicine , composite material , electrophysiology , physics , nuclear physics
Background and Objective The purpose of the present study was to evaluate physiologically pulpal nerve responses and to elucidate histopathologically the pulp tissue reactions to “spot irradiation” with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Study Design/Materials and Methods Antidromic compound action potentials and the pulpal blood flow (PBF) were recorded from the canine tooth of a sodium pentobarbitone‐anesthetized cat. The laser irradiation‐induced pulp tissue changes were histologically investigated. Results The coronal antidromic compound action potentials disappeared in all the teeth tested during lasing, and the time needed to erase them was significantly shortened with increases in lasing power ( P < 0.05). The radicular PBF increased when spot irradiation was performed, and the coronal PBF also temporarily increased with low‐powered lasing. Histologic investigation revealed that spot irradiation with the laser produced severe damage in the pulp tissue in a dose‐dependent manner. Conclusion The present study suggests that spot irradiation with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser risks producing nerve injury and irreversible tissue damage in the pulp with lasing for the purpose of desensitizing hypersensitive dentin. 2000 Lasers Surg. Med. 26:398–404, 2000 © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.