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Prevention of third molar development in dog with long pulse diode laser: A preliminary report
Author(s) -
Silvestri Anthony R.,
Mirkov Mirko G.,
Connolly Raymond J.
Publication year - 2007
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/lsm.20540
Subject(s) - molar , laser , dentistry , beagle , medicine , diode , orthodontics , materials science , optics , optoelectronics , physics
Wisdom teeth continue to plague man with a high rate of frequency. It may be possible to prevent their development in children at an early age with a non‐ or minimally invasive technique, even before the tooth begins to form, by treating the soft tissue overlying the site of their development. A previous study that treated the intra‐oral soft tissues of newborn rats with a 20 watt diode laser stopped third molar development up to 80% of the time with minimum observable side effects. This brief report describes a similar use of the diode laser in a limited number of young beagle pups. It is the first reported attempt at preventing third molar development in an animal model close in size to man. Materials and Methods Four 6–7 week old beagle pups were treated on one side of their mandibles with either a 20 or a 100 watt, 800 nm diode laser at a time third molar tooth buds are just beginning to form under the oral mucosa. Six months following treatment, the pups were examined intra‐orally and radiographically for evidence of third molar formation. Results The two intra‐oral sites that received the 20 watt diode laser treatment showed normal third molar development. The two intra‐oral sites that received the 100 watt diode laser treatment did not develop third molars. Conclusions The diode laser may be capable of selectively stopping third molar development and further studies are warranted. Lasers Surg. Med. 39:674–677, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.