Planetary health education in medical curricula in the Republic of Ireland.

Background: The World Health Organization considers climate change an urgent global health challenge requiring prioritised action. A recent global survey reported that only 15% of medical schools have incorporated climate change and health into the curriculum.

Objectives: This research study was carried out from November 2020 and April 2021 using the Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) initiative to assess the current level of planetary health teaching in medical schools in the Republic of Ireland.

Selective removal of dental caries with a diode-pumped Er:YAG laser.

Selective removal of caries lesions with high precision is best accomplished using lasers operating at high pulse repetition rates utilizing small spot sizes. Conventional flash-lamp pumped Er:YAG lasers are poorly suited for this purpose, but new diode-pumped Er:YAG lasers have become available operating at high pulse repetition rates. The purpose of this study was to measure the ablation rate and selectivity of sound and demineralized enamel and dentin for a 30 W diode-pumped Er:YAG laser operating with a pulse duration of 20-30-s and evaluate it's potential for the selective removal of natural occlusal lesions on extracted teeth.