Introduction
Improving the success rate of implant surgeries is the goal of many research projects. The presence of a smear layer after conventional drilling of an implant which can host bacteria can be a negative factor for the success of implant procedures. Lasers have shown various degrees of smear layer removal in root canal treatments, but there is limited literature available for laser effects specially the Er,Cr:YSGG Laser in implant bone cavity.
Purpose
The scope of the present study, which is carried out as a pilot experiment, is the assessment of different settings of this laser in smear layer removal from bone cavities.
Materials and methods
In this in vitro study, 16 irradiation settings of the Er,Cr:YSGG Laser, with power range from 0.75 to 4.5 W, irradiation durations of 20–180 s, and different percentages of air and water spray, were tested on the drilled implant holes in bovine femur. Afterwards, several scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were obtained from these cavities. The results were interpreted as “with or without smear layer.” All laser groups were compared to the control group.
Results
The findings were assumed significant with P < 0.05. Among different settings, only four of them, including irradiations of 1.5 with 30 Hz and 3 W with 15 Hz for 20 and 40 s in comparison with the control group, removed the smear layer completely and significantly (P = 0.00).
Conclusion
Within limitations of this study, using suggested settings of Er,Cr:YSGG Laser irradiation can remove smear layer in dental implant bone cavities.