Prevention of Dental Caries and Treatment of Early Caries Using the Nd:YAG Laser

It is well known that since the first laser made with a ruby crystal was built by Dr. Maiman in 1960,1 the laser has been considered to be a potential tool in dentistry. The energy of high-power lasers can be concentrated in a short pulse. Many of the early studies on laser applications in dentistry first investigated the possibility of replacing conventional dental drills with lasers for restorative techniques in cavity preparation.2,3 However these attempts were unsuccessful because of too much damage to the tooth, especially to the dental pulp. Current investigations have turned to caries prevention and treatment by means of laser irradiation. The clinical application of lasers to the prevention and treatment of dental caries requires two important considerations4: First, minimum energy density is necessary to avoid damaging the oral soft tissue, especially the dental pulp, and, second, the laser beam must be easily guided with a flexible optical fiber to the restricted area of the tooth surface of the oral cavity.