LAUSR

Abstract Background: High power lasers have been suggested as a useful tool for dental caries and erosion prevention due to the increase of enamel acid resistance. Objective: to evaluate the effect of Er,Cr:YSGG (erbium,chromium:yttrium, scandium, gallium, garnet) laser irradiation pulse frequency and power on enamel surface and acid erosion resistance. Methods: By combining pulse frequency (5–75 Hz) and power settings (0.10–1.00 W), 20 irradiated groups and one nonirradiated control group were tested. A total of 63 bovine enamel blocks (n = 3/group) were prepared for surface hardness and roughness evaluation, performed in three phases: baseline, after irradiation, and after erosive challenge. Enamel blocks were irradiated with Er,Cr:YSGG laser with MZ8 tip (iPlus; Waterlase, Biolase, CA) for 30 sec according to experimental group and submitted. Erosive challenge consisted of four cycles alternating immersion in 0.01 M HCl (5 mL/mm2; 2 min; at 37°C) and immersion in artificial saliva for 3 h. Analysis of ...