Evolution of the role of phototherapy during endodontic decontamination

A microbe free root canal space before obturation leads to higher success rate and conventional chemo-mechanical debridement might not achieve this goal completely. First trials of laser in dentistry started from surgical intervention on caries and bones of oral cavity and extended to prepare cavities and even shaping root canals. Afterward lasers were implicated soon into direct debridement of root canal space. Anyhow failure of laser to remove debris totally from root canal space is demonstrated recently, additionally it might lead to damages to surrounding tissues or inorganic material of root canal if be used without precaution. Nowadays the theory of light assisted protocols became another start point for laser in endodontics. Laser has been introduced as an adjuvant to conventional debridement of root canals. We used Medline search engine to collect scientific publications to edit this review article in purpose of revealing the evolution of laser position from an ultimate cleaning methodology to an adjuvant to conventional root canal disinfection protocols.