Paper
27 April 2001 Novel laser contact probe for periodontal treatment
Hisashi Watanabe, Kenzo Kataoka, Isao Ishikawa
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Application of the erbium: YAG laser to periodontal treatment has been attempted and preferable results have been reported for calculus removal, vaporization of granulation tissue, periodontal pocket sterilization and so on. However, it has been difficult to reach and treat some conditions involving complex root morphology and furcated rots with conventional probes. The new broom probe was designed and tested to overcome these obstacles. The probe was made of 20 super-fine optical fibers bound into a broom shape. The experiments were carried out to evaluate the destructive power of a single fiber and to examine the morphology of tissue destruction and the accessibility to a bifurcated root of a human tooth using the broom probe. The Er:YAG laser prototype was used. A flat specimen plate was made by cutting the root of a cow tooth and then attached to an electrically operated table and irradiated under various conditions. The specimens were examined with both an optical and scanning electron microscope. The irradiated surfaces were also examined with a roughness meter. An irradiation applied with a single fiber with an energy level of 1 to 1.5 mJ at its tip results in a destruction depth of 3 to 24 micrometers . The optimum conditions for the fibers of this probe was 1.0 mJ at 10 pps and a scanning speed of 100 mm/min. No part of the tooth surface remained un-irradiated after using the broom probe to cover the surface 5 times parallel to the tooth axis and then five times at a 30 degree angle to the previous irradiation at a power of 20 mJ at 10 pps. Also curved and irregular surface were destroyed to a maximum depth of 19 micrometers . In conclusion, these results suggest that the broom probe would be applicable for periodontal laser treatments even if the tooth surface has a complex and irregular shape.
© (2001) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Hisashi Watanabe, Kenzo Kataoka, and Isao Ishikawa "Novel laser contact probe for periodontal treatment", Proc. SPIE 4249, Lasers in Dentistry VII, (27 April 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.424508
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Cited by 2 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Teeth

Erbium

YAG lasers

Scanning electron microscopy

Natural surfaces

Laser beam diagnostics

Tissues

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