scanning electron microscope (sem) evaluation of tooth surface irradiated by different parameters of erbium: yttrium aluminium garnet (er:yag) laser

introduction: the aim of this study was to investigate the scanning electron microscope (sem) analysis of tooth surface irradiated by different parameters of er:yag laser. methods: 15 caries-free extracted human third molars were used in this study. the teeth were put into 5 groups for laser irradiation as follows: group 1 (power: 2.5 w, energy: 250 mj); group 2(power: 3 w, energy: 300 mj); group 3 (power: 3.5 w, energy: 350 mj); group 4 (power: 4 w, energy: 400 mj); group 5 (power: 4.5 w, energy: 450 mj). all samples were prepared by repetition rate of 10 hz. then,the samples were prepared for sem examination. results: the sem images showed cleaned ablated surface and exposed dentinal tubules, without production of smear layer. conclusion: it can be concluded that er:yag laser can be an alternative technique for surface treatment and can be considered as safe as the conventional methods,like turbine and bur.