450 nm blue laser and oral surgery: Preliminary ex vivo study

Introduction: Dental diode lasers were started to be used at the end of the 1990s and were shown to possess several important characteristics, such as small size and low cost, as well as the advantage of optic fibers delivering system. Although only two wavelengths (810 and 980 nm) had been the most used dental diode lasers, a wavelength emitting in the blue portion of the spectrum has recently been proposed. Aim: The aim of this ex vivo study was to compare the effectiveness of five different fiber-delivered laser wavelengths (450, 532, 808, 1064, and 1340 nm) in the oral soft tissue ablation. Materials and methods: Specimens were surgically collected from the dorsal surface of four bovine tongues and, while deep thermal increase was measured by two thermocouples at 0.5 and 2 mm depth, surface temperature was recorded by an infrared thermometer. Subsequently, specimens were fixed in 10% buffered formalin solution, cut into slices, and embedded in paraffin blocks, and a pathologist made a morphological analysis by optic microscope assigning a score based on the quality of the cut and tissue damage. Results: The analysis showed the best quality of the cut and the lowest temperature increase on the specimens obtained with the shortest laser wavelength (450 nm). Conclusion: Even considering this as preliminary study, the use of 450 nm blue diode laser in oral surgery may be suggested to the clinician in their daily practice. Clinical significance: This study opens a new perspective in oral surgery. Blue diode laser has demonstrated a good quality of the cut with a low energy causing a minimal thermal damage to the tissue, promising a better comfort to patients.