Laser Technology for Removal of Caries
Summary and conclusions
SBU Alert Report No. 2009-03
Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment
May 27, 2009
Caries is the most common cause of toothache and tooth loss. Laser is a new method for removing carious dental hard tissues (enamel and dentine).
Conclusions
Laser is equal to a rotary bur for removing carious dental hard tissues.
It takes longer to remove carious dental hard tissues by laser than by rotary bur.
The scientific evidence is insufficient to determine whether laser treatment may be harmful to the dental pulp.
The scientific evidence is insufficient to determine whether cavity preparation by laser compromises the longevity of a restoration.
Adult patients prefer laser treatment to a rotary bur, but the scientific evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions about children’s perception of laser treatment.
The scientific evidence is insufficient to draw definite conclusions about the cost effectiveness of the method. The method has been assessed as equal to a rotary bur for removal of carious dental hard tissues, but more expensive. Based on today’s costs it can therefore not be considered to be cost effective.
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Copyright © 2009 by the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment. All content unless otherwise noted is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Bookshelf ID: NBK448030, PMID: 28876767
