Research progress of Erbium Laser in the treatment of dental caries

WU Xiu-li

doi:10.15956/j.cnki.chin.j.conserv.dent.2017.01.010

Abstract：Dental caries is a bacterial infectious disease which occurs in the hard tissue of tooth,it is a common and frequently-occurring disease.In the early stage,caries often causes the hard tissue defect,with progression,it can bring a series of complications such as dental pulp disease,periapical disease,oral maxillofacial inflammation and so on,finally the tooth loss.Plombage is a common method of treatment of dental caries,through the surgical approach to remove the decayed tissue,preparation of hole shape,then choose the suitable packing material to repair the form and restore the function of the related teeth.High speed turbine is often used to remove the decayed tissue,due to the limitation of equipment,it is inevitable to remove the normal tooth tissue.Erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er∶YAG) laser is a solid laser with the wavelength of 2.94 μm,it can accurately,efficiently,and painlessly remove the decayed tissue,maximize preservation of the surrounding healthy tissue at the sametime,so it is getting more and more attention.This article is to make an overview on the application and research progress of Er∶YAG laser in the treatment of dental caries.