Impact of the Laser on Dental Caries

Abstract

THE characteristics of the laser beam which are of great interest and importance from the biomedical aspect are the ability to direct and to focus, intense energy density and some selectivity¹. Since the laser beam is a light beam, it can be focused most accurately by using lens systems. Energy density is intense. In these experiments, the energy density was approximately 9,000 joules/cm² in the target area. Selectivity indicates that materials which are coloured absorb more of the incident beam of the lasers now available than uncoloured materials. In addition to these properties, of interest to the dentist is the fact that the duration of the impact is in the order of a millisecond.