Thermal effects on pulp due to laser and handpiece usage

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Biomedical Engineering
• Laser Physics

Background:

• Dental hard tissue ablation is crucial for various procedures.
• Minimizing pulpal temperature increase is vital to prevent thermal damage.
• Comparing different ablation technologies ensures optimal clinical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare pulpal temperature changes during dental hard tissue ablation.
• To evaluate two erbium dental laser systems, one CO2 laser system, and a high-speed handpiece.
• To determine the thermal effects of different ablation methods on dental pulp.

Main Methods:

• Eighty human molars were divided into four groups (n=20).
• Three groups underwent ablation with laser systems (two erbium, one CO2) for 60 seconds.
• One group was ablated with a high-speed handpiece for 60 seconds; pulpal temperatures were measured via thermocouples.

Main Results:

• No tested ablation method approached the 5.5°C pulpal damage threshold.
• The Waterlase MD system showed the highest average temperature increase (3.56°C).
• The traditional handpiece resulted in the lowest average temperature increase (1.57°C), followed by LightWalker DT (3.20°C) and Solea CO2 (3.30°C).

Conclusions:

• All evaluated dental laser systems and the high-speed handpiece maintain pulpal temperatures below the threshold for thermal damage.
• The traditional high-speed handpiece demonstrates the most favorable thermal profile.
• Further research may explore long-term effects and optimal parameters for laser-assisted ablation.