Comparison between laser-induced photoemissions and phototransmission of hard tissues using fibre-coupled Nd:YAG and Er(3+)-doped fibre lasers.

During pulsed laser irradiation of dental enamel, laser-induced photoemissions result from the laser-tissue interaction through mechanisms including fluorescence and plasma formation. Fluorescence induced by non-ablative laser light interaction has been used in tissue diagnosis, but the photoemission signal accompanying higher power ablative processes may also be used to provide real-time monitoring of the laser-tissue interaction. The spectral characteristics of the photoemission signals from normal and carious tooth enamel induced by two different pulsed lasers were examined.