• 대한치과의사협회지
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• 제49권11호
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• pp.660-669
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• 2011

Er: YAG laser irradiation utilizing the newly developed RCLase side-firing spiral tip was used for the cleansing of root canals following their bio-mechanical preparation with ProTaper Ni-Ti files. The distal and palatal roots of 20 freshly extracted molar teeth were instrumented to size F3 with ProTaper files. In the experimental group (10 teeth) the pulp chamber and the root canals were filled with EDTA 17% and the root canals were lased for 30 s using the Er: YAG laser irradiation at 600 mJ per pulse and a frequency of 12 Hz. In the control group (10 teeth) the root canals were not lased. Scanning electron microscope analysis showed clean wall surfaces of the lased root canals with open dentinal tubules, free of smear layer and debris. In the scanning electron microscope photographs of the walls of the non-lased root canals a considerable amount of debris could be detected. It appears that an efficient cleansing of the root canal system can be achieved by using the Er: YAG laser irradiation with the RCLase Side-firing Spiral Tip following bio-mechanical preparation of the root canal with Ni-Ti Taper files.