Effects of an Er,Cr:YSGG Laser on Bone Regeneration in Critical-Sized Calvarial Defects of Rats Exposed to Inhalation of Cigarette Smoke.

To evaluate the effect of the Er,Cr:YSGG laser on healing of critical-sized calvarial defects (CSDs) in rats submitted to inhalation of cigarette smoke. Smoking has been implicated with the delay in the bone healing after osteotomy procedures, then the use of the Er,Cr:YSGG laser for osteotomy in smokers could be an alternative to the conventional drills. One hundred animals were randomly allocated into four groups: trephine-the CSDs were made with a trephine drill in healthy rats; Er,Cr:YSGG-the CSDs were made with the Er,Cr:YSGG laser in healthy rats; Trephine-S-the CSDs were made with a trephine drill in rats exposed to cigarette smoke; and Er,Cr:YSGG-S-the CSDs were made with the Er,Cr:YSGG laser in rats exposed to cigarette smoke. The inhalation of cigarette smoke started 7 days before the surgical procedure until euthanasia (immediately, 7, 15, 30, or 60 days after the surgical procedure). A histometric analysis and a histological description were performed to evaluate (1) the residual linear lengths and bone formation in the CSDs; (2) the quality of bone healing. The use of Er,Cr:YSGG laser induces more bone formation compared with the trephine in smokers; however, the closure of the CSD was only superior in the Er,Cr:YSGG-S group compared to the Trephine-S group at the 60-day period. The use of the Er,Cr:YSGG laser stimulated the bone repair process after osteotomy procedures in animals submitted to exposure of inhalation of cigarette smoke.