Use of Er:YAG laser to improve osseointegration of titanium alloy implants--a comparison of bone healing.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the osseointegration of implants in rats in sites prepared with an Er:YAG laser with osseointegration in sites prepared using a conventional drill by assessing the percentage of bone-implant contact (BIC).

Materials And Methods: Osteotomies were prepared with an Er:YAG laser in the tibiae of 18 rats (the test group) and drill-prepared with a 1.3-mm-wide surgical implant drill at 1,000 rpm with simultaneous saline irrigation in the tibiae of another 18 rats (the control group).

Genetic investigation of autosomal recessive distal renal tubular acidosis: evidence for early sensorineural hearing loss associated with mutations in the ATP6V0A4 gene.

Mutations in the ATP6V1B1 and ATP6V0A4 genes, encoding subunits B1 and 4 of apical H(+) ATPase, cause recessive forms of distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA). ATP6V1B mutations have been associated with early sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), whereas ATP6V0A4 mutations are classically associated with either late-onset SNHL or normal hearing. The phenotype and genotype of 39 new kindreds with recessive dRTA, 18 of whom were consanguineous, were assessed.

Er:YAG laser promotes gingival wound repair by photo-dissociating water molecules.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to show that rapid wound repair following Er:YAG treatment and its bactericidal effect can also be related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in irradiated tissue.

Background Data: The Er:YAG laser with a wavelength of 2,940 nm (corresponding to the vibrational OH stretch frequency of water) is of great value in dental medicine, owing to its dual ability to ablate soft and hard tissues with minimal damage to surrounding structures. The relatively rapid postoperative healing time seen after ablation of the gingiva is attributed to the very narrow zone of thermal disruption.

Clinical applications of lasers during removable prosthetic reconstruction.

The successful construction of removable full and partial dentures depends mainly on the preoperative evaluation of the supporting hard and soft tissue structures and their proper preparation. Stability, retention, function, and esthetics of removable prostheses may be enhanced by proper laser manipulation of the soft tissues and underlying osseous structure. Compared with conventional techniques, laser treatment has many advantages.