[The YAG laser in children's conservative dentistry. Preliminary report]

The authors give a preliminary report of the use of a high-power (60 W) pulsed Yag laser in conservative odontology. A purely experimental phase involving laser shots to 164 freshly extracted teeth preceded the clinical evaluation. Sterilization was obtained in all cases. Histopathological sections showed that there was destruction of caries with carbonization, and melting of the superficial layer despite complete preservation of the pulp. The clinical study which followed involved 28 milk teeth. In 9 cases local anesthesia was of no value. In all cases there was vaporization of the pathological dentition and vitrification of the superficial dentin layer. Pulp vitality tested before and sometime after the procedure was preserved in all cases. These are the results reported here with a review of the probable future possibilities of the Yag laser.