Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
Cooling or Warming the Esophagus to Reduce Esophageal Injury During Left Atrial Ablation in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: March 15, 2020
Temperature variation during apicectomy with Er:YAG laser
Emre Bodrumlu1, Ilker Keskiner, Mahmut Sumer
1Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Endodontics, University of Ondokuz Mayis, Samsun, Turkey. bodrumlu@omu.edu.tr
Objective:
The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the generated temperature of the Er:YAG laser, with three different pulse durations for apicectomy, compared with tungsten bur and surgical saw.
Background Data:
Apicectomy is an endodontic surgery performed to remove the root apex and curette adjacent periapical tissue because of lesions of the apical area that are not healing properly.
Methods:
Sixty single-rooted extracted human teeth were resected by three cutting methods: tungsten bur, surgical saw, and Er:YAG laser irradiation with three different pulse durations; pulse duration 50 μs, pulse duration 100 μs, and pulse duration 300 μs. Teflon-insulated, type K thermocouples were used to measure temperature changes during the apicectomy process. Data were analyzed using the general linear models procedure of the SPSS statistical software program.
Results:
Although there was no statistically significant difference for the mean values of temperature changes at 1 mm away to the cutting site of teeth, there was statistically significant difference among groups for the mean values of temperature changes at 3 mm away to the cutting site of teeth. Additionally, there was statistically significant difference among groups for the total time required for apicectomy.
Conclusions:
The laser irradiation with pulse duration 50 μs appears to have the lowest temperature rise and the shortest time required for apicectomy of the three pulse durations. However, Er:YAG laser for apicectomy in all pulse durations could be used safely for resection in endodontics in the presence of sufficient water.
