UCSF

Abstract

Objective: To test the null hypothesis that the incision properties of four different lasers: carbon dioxide, diode, Nd:YAG, and Er,Cr:YSGG are comparable clinically and histologically to each other, and the stainless steel scalpel blade incision.

Materials and Method: 30 incisions were made in fresh pig mandibles, in the keratinized oral mucosa, with the stainless steel scalpel blade, and the four lasers tested, 6 incisions for each treatment. The four lasers parameters were set according to each laser manufacturers’ instructions for the soft tissue incision. Histological examination (H&E stain) assessed depth of incision, width of incision, lateral coagulation, depth of coagulation, and time to complete each incision. One-way ANOVA approach with a Bonferroni or Scheffe posttest analysis for the P value, with the P value set at <0.05 was used to analyze data.

Results: The scalpel incision induced no lateral or deep coagulation. The Nd:YAG laser exhibited the most lateral and deep coagulation, as well as the most width of incision. The Er,Cr:YSGG laser and the carbon dioxide lasers differed statistically in their depth of incision, having lesser depth, from the diode and the Nd:YAG lasers.