Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of neodymium: yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) (1064 nm) and erbium: yttrium aluminium garnet (Er:YAG) (2940 nm) laser energy on titanium when delivered with conventional optics (focusing handpieces or plain ended optical fibres) or with a conical tip. Machined and micro-roughened implant discs were subjected to laser irradiation under a variety of energy settings either dry (without water) or wet (with water). Samples were scanned using a 3D non-contact laser profilometer and analysed for surface roughness, volume of peaks and the maximum diameter of the ablated area. Conical tip designs when used with both lasers showed no surface effect at any power setting on both machined and micro-roughened implant surfaces, regardless of the irrigation condition. When used with conventional delivery systems, laser effects on titanium were dose related, and were more profound with the Nd:YAG than with the Er:YAG laser. High laser pulse energies caused surface fusion which reduced the roughness of micro-roughened titanium surfaces. Likewise, repeated pulses and higher power densities also caused greater surface modifications. The presence of water reduced the influence of laser irradiation on titanium. It may be concluded that conical fibres can reduce unwanted surface modification, and this may be relevant to clinical protocols for debridement or disinfection of titanium dental implants.