Plasma in dentistry: Novel technology beyond lasers

Mechanical and chemical methods have been used to treat oral conditions since ages. Recently laser technology has been added to the existing armamentarium. But all these aforementioned techniques have a common disadvantage of unwanted and uncontrolled damage to the adjacent healthy -hard and soft tissues. The emergence of ‘Plasma Technology’ has proved to be a ground breaking treatment modality for a myriad of dental conditions overcoming the disadvantages of the currently used modalities. This fourth state of matter contains free moving charge carriers and has various medical and dental applications. This novel tissue-saving technique is painless and is effective in both wet and dry environment. In dentistry, it can be used to prepare and disinfect dental cavities and root canals, for disinfection and sterilisation, for bleaching and for non-inflammatory tissue modifications. This review on plasma technology aims to highlight the current status and clinical applications of this emerging field in dentistry.