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Prevention of third molar development in dog with long pulse diode laser: a preliminary report
Anthony R Silvestri1, Mirko G Mirkov, Raymond J Connolly
1Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA. anthony.silvestri_jr@tufts.edu
Introduction:
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.
