A Morphological Study on Enamel, Dentine, Canal Wall and Root Surface Irradiated by CO2 Laser (LASERSAT CO2)

The enamel, dentine, canal walls and root surfaces of ten human extracted teeth were irradiated by newly developed CO2 laser device (LASERSAT CO2 SATELEC, France) under the condition of the fixed different exposure time of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 seconds and varied power from 1, 2, 3 until 10 watts. The detailed examination was carried out by light microscope and scanning electron microscope. As a result, among enamel, dentine, canal wall and root surface, the root surface showed the most severe morphological changes. This result was considered to depend on the composition of water, mineral and organic substance. Furthermore, considering from the lased findings, it was confirmed that even under the condition of low power, the enamel surface was melted and recrystalized like glass surface. From our findings, it can be concluded that this device seemed to be effective for caries prevention and primary caries treatment if the temperature rising after CO2 laser irradiation which causes the dental pulp disturbance could be resolved.