Blue diode laser: A new approach in oral surgery?

The introduction of diode lasers in dentistry had several advantages, principally consisting on the reduced size, reduced cost and possibility to beam delivering by optical fibbers. Up today two diode wavelengths, 810 and 980 nm, were the most utilized in oral surgery but recently a new wavelength emitting in the blue had been proposed. The aim of this ex vivo study was to compare the efficacy of five laser wavelengths (450, 532, 808, 1064 and 1340 nm) for the ablation of soft tissues. Specimens were surgically collected from the dorsal surface of four bovine tongues and irradiated by the five different wavelengths. Thermal increase was measured by two thermocouples, the first at a depth of 0.5 mm, and the second at a depth of 2 mm while initial and final surface temperatures were recorded by IR thermometer. The quality of the incision was histologically evaluated by a pathologist by giving a score from 0 to 5. The time necessary to perform the excision varied between 215 seconds (1340 nm, 5W) and 292 seconds (808 nm, 3W). Surface temperature increase was highest for 1340 nm, 5W and lowest for 405 nm, 4 W. The most significant deep temperature increase was recorded by 1340 nm, 5 W and the lowest by 450 nm, 2 W. The quality of incision was better and the thermal elevation lower in the specimens obtained with shortest laser wavelength (450 nm).