Evaluation of Nd:YAG laser on partial oxygen saturation of pulpal blood in anterior hypersensitive teeth
Birang R, Kaviani N, Mohammadpour M, Abed AM, Gutknecht N, Mir M.Photomed Laser Surg. 2008;26(5):473-477.
Background:
Dentine hypersensitivity has of long been known to be a common clinical problem in dental practices. Lasers have recently come to play a prominent role in the treatment of this disorder. They might, however, cause dental pulp damage. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Nd:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser on partial oxygen saturation of pulpal blood in sensitive anterior teeth.
Materials and Methods:
In this clinical trial, 65 hypersensitive teeth were selected and randomly allocated to two groups. The study group involved Nd:YAG laser treatment, while no treatment was employed for the control group. Using a pulse oximetry system, evaluations were preformed of the partial oxygen saturation in the pulpal blood before, immediately after, 1 week after, and 1 month after the treatment. The results were analyzed using the SPSS software and repeated-measures analysis of variance and paired-samples t tests. The mean partial oxygen saturation of the blood was found to be 85.4% in the study group, which was not significantly different from that of the control group.
Results:
No significant differences were observed in the control group between the means obtained from pretreatment and post-treatment intervals (P > 0.05). The Post-treatment partial oxygen saturation mean rose to 89.3% (P = 0.001) and remained constant throughout the following week after it. However, no significant differences were found between the pretreatment partial oxygen saturation mean and the same measurement 1 month after treatment (P = 0.702). Nd:YAG laser therapy for dentine desensitization of anterior teeth caused no persistent changes in the partial oxygen saturation of pulpal blood.
Conclusion:
It may, therefore, be concluded that the diffusion of heat induced by the Nd:YAG laser into the pulp within the limit of the desensitization parameters cause no irreversible damages in the dental pulp.
