KTP and Er:YAG laser dental bleaching comparison: a spectrophotometric, thermal and morphologic analysis.

The aim of this study was to compare the results, in terms of temperature, colour change and morphology, of two different laser wavelengths with two different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (HP). The lasers used were KTP (potassium-titanyl-phosphate) laser (λ = 532 nm (PD = 1.98 W/cm2)) and Er:YAG laser (λ = 2940 nm (PD = 2.54 W/cm2)). The bleaching gels used were PolaOffice 35% HP gel and PolaOffice+ 6% HP gel (SDI, Australia). Thirty-six extracted human teeth were selected and divided into two groups. For the 35% HP treatment, 18 teeth were randomly assigned to three subgroups: (1) HP gel without laser irradiation vs. HP gel + KTP laser irradiation; (2) HP gel without laser irradiation vs. HP gel + Er:YAG irradiation; and (3) HP gel + KTP laser irradiation vs. HP gel + Er:YAG irradiation. The same protocol was used for the 6% HP bleaching treatment. The bleaching results were analysed by a spectrophotometer, the thermal elevation by K thermocouples and the enamel surface by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney test were performed, and the data were analysed using the software StatView and the free Web statistics tool BiostaTGV. The thermal elevation of the Er:YAG groups was higher than KTP, while only the group 35% HP gel vs. 35% HP gel + Er:YAG showed significant colour differences (p < 0.05). SEM photographs showed slight enamel surface morphologic alterations after bleaching treatment. The Er:YAG laser may improve the bleaching results of 35% HP even if it increases the gel temperature, when compared to the KTP laser.

405 nm diode laser, halogen lamp and LED device comparison in dental composites cure: an "in vitro" experimental trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A 405 nm diode laser is indicated for composite materials polymerizing, thanks to the recent evolution in their compositions, absorbing in blue part of the spectrum. The purpose of this research was to evaluate its performance on two different kinds of composite resins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two different composites were polymerized with a traditional halogen lamp, a LED device and a 405 nm diode laser. The depth of the cure, the volumetric shrinkage, and the degree of the conversion (DC%) of the double bond during the curing process were measured. One-way ANOVA test, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Dunn comparison tests were used for statistic analysis. RESULTS: Regarding the depth of polymerization, the laser had the worst performance on one composite while on the other, no significant difference with the other devices was observed. The volumetric shrinkage showed that laser produced the lowest change in both of the composites. The DC% measure confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this preliminary study, it is not possible to recommend the 405 nm diode laser for the polymerization of dental composites.

Comparison of two different laser wavelengths' dental bleaching results by photo-Fenton reaction: in vitro study.

The purpose of this study was to perform a preliminary in vitro test on the possible use of two different laser wavelengths, 405 and 532 nm, to improve the dental bleaching results. To perform the test, the degradation of a dye, rhodamine B, under the effects of hydrogen peroxide was used. One hundred and twenty vials were divided into four groups of 30 samples each and, while three of them were irradiated with different wavelengths, 365 nm (reference), 405 nm and 532 nm, the fourth was the non-irradiated control group. Each of the four groups was further divided into three subgroups of 10 cuvettes (n = 10) each. The three subgroups included a group with a rhodamine (RH) solution, a rhodamine and hydrogen peroxide (RH + HP) solution and a rhodamine plus hydrogen peroxide and ferrous gluconate (RH + FR) solution. When hydrogen peroxide was present, only UVA irradiation was able to produce significant results, whereas when the photo-Fenton reaction occurred, all the three wavelengths were able to produce a significant degradation of rhodamine B, with better results for longer wavelengths in comparison with short wavelengths. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the light of the two laser devices, even remaining less effective than UV activation, showed its ability to improve the performance of bleaching agents based on Fenton photocatalysis, whereas when used in combination with hydrogen peroxide only, the 405-nm laser displayed a small effect and the 532-nm laser produced no effects.

The bleaching efficiency of KTP and diode 810 nm lasers on teeth stained with different substances: An in vitro study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bleaching efficiency of two different lasers (KTP and diode 810 nm) on teeth, randomly divided by means an Excel function (Microsoft Excel 2010 "Fx causale") and stored in physiological solution, that were previously stained with different substances commonly considered as a cause of tooth discoloration, such as coffee, tea and red fruits and to investigate the role of laser irradiation in an experimental model, during the dental bleaching process. METHODS: Three groups of 45 bovine teeth were created and immersed for one week in a solution of tea, coffee or red fruits respectively. Each group was divided into three sub-groups of fifteen teeth. One was bleached with a 30% hydrogen peroxide gel for 30 min only as control, another 15 teeth group was bleached with the gel plus 810 nm diode laser irradiation and the last group was bleached with the gel plus KTP irradiation. The lasers were applied in three cycles of 30 sec each with a power of 1.5 W localized on a 10 mm spot on the teeth. The temperature of the gel was checked during the bleaching procedure using a thermometer and the colour of each tooth was measured by a spectrophotometer. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of the collected data was performed using Graph Pad Prism, version 6.01 software, Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's multiple comparison test and Mann-Whitney test. P value <0.0001 was considered extremely significant (***), P value between 0.001 to 0.01 very significant (**), P value between 0.01 to 0.05 significant (*) and P value >0.05 not significant (ns). By these tests diode laser was effective only at bleaching teeth stained with coffee meanwhile the KTP laser was efficient at bleaching teeth with coffee, tea and red fruits stains. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a relation between the laser wavelength and the type of staining on the dental enamel and the efficacy of the whitening treatment exists.

Use of laser in orthodontics: applications and perspectives.

Laser technology got in these years a more and more important role in modern dentistry and, recently, also in orthodontics was proposed the utilization of laser devices. The aim of this work is to describe the utilization of this technology both in soft and hard oral tissues to improve orthodontic treatment. Several cases, with different wavelengths (532, 810, 980, 1064, 2940 and 10600 nm) and in different times of the treatment (before, during and after) are presented. All the cases reported showed, according to the literature, that the use of the laser related to orthodontic treatment offers several advantages when compared with conventional methods. In the soft tissues surgery it allows to reduce or eliminate the use of anesthetic injection, to avoid use of sutures and to bond bracket in dry enamel; associated with orthophosphoric acid, it gives a stronger adhesion of the brackets to the enamel and, in the case of porcelain brackets, it detaches them without damages; at low power (LLLT) it permits to control the pain of the first period after bonding and, by increasing the speed of teeth movement in the bone, reduces the time of the treatment.

Analysis of shade, temperature and hydrogen peroxide concentration during dental bleaching: in vitro study with the KTP and diode lasers.

Many dental bleaching techniques are now available, several of them using a laser source. However, the literature on the exact role of coherent light in the biochemical reaction of the whitening process is very discordant. The aims of this in vitro study were: (1) to compare two different laser sources, a KTP laser with a wavelength of 532 nm and a diode laser with a wavelength of 808 nm, during dental bleaching, and (2) to investigate the relationships among changes in gel temperature, tooth shade and hydrogen peroxide (HP) concentration during laser irradiation. Altogether, 116 bovine teeth were bleached using a 30% HP gel, some of them with gel only and others with gel plus one of the two lasers (532 or 808 nm) at two different powers (2 and 4 W). The KTP laser produced a significant shade variation with a minimal temperature increase. The diode laser led to a higher temperature increase with a greater reduction in HP concentration, but the change in shade was only statistically significant with a power of 4 W. At a power of 2 W, the KTP laser caused a greater change in shade than the diode laser. No significant correlations were found among temperature, HP concentration and shade variation. The KTP laser appears to provide better results with less dangerous thermal increases than the diode laser. This might call into question most of the literature affirming that the action of laser bleaching is by increasing the gel temperature and, consequently, the speed of the redox reaction. Further study is required to investigate the correlations between the parameters investigated and efficacy of the bleaching process.