Wettability of dentin after Yb:KYW thin-disk femtosecond ablation

The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the wettability of dentin after Yb:KYW thin-disk femtosecond-pulsed laser ablation by measuring the contact angle. Different laser parameters were used including different fluences (F), scanning speeds, and scanning line spacings. Crowns of 15 extracted human teeth were cut longitudinally into slices approximately 1.5-mm thick with a cutting instrument. The samples were randomly divided into ten groups (n = 3/group). Samples in groups 1-8 were irradiated with a femtosecond-pulsed laser. The dentin samples were fixed on a stage at the focal plane, and the laser beam irradiated the samples through a galvanometric scanning system so rectangular movement could be achieved. Samples in groups 9 and 10 were prepared with grinding instruments. Following ablation and preparation, the samples were examined for contact angle with an optical contact angle measuring instrument. The results showed that scanning speed and scanning line spacing had little influence on the wettability of dentin following femtosecond-pulsed laser ablation, except when F = 6 J/cm(2). For six out of the eight laser ablation groups, when a lower fluence was used, the dentin contact angle was higher and vice versa. Most of the dentin which had been ablated using the femtosecond-pulsed laser had improved wettability compared to samples prepared with the grinding instruments. This study showed that various laser fluences, scanning speeds, and scanning line spacings can alter dentin wettability. Therefore, adequate parameters should be chosen to achieve proper therapeutic benefits.