The effect of low-level laser therapy (810 nm) on root development of immature permanent teeth in dogs

Abstract

Traumatic injuries and dental caries can be a big challenge to immature teeth. In these cases, the main purpose of treatment is to maintain the pulp vitality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of low-level laser therapy on accelerating the rate of dentinogenesis in pulpotomy of immature permanent teeth (apexogenesis). Three dogs, 4–6 months old, were used in this study. One jaw in each dog was randomly assigned to laser irradiation group. All selected teeth were pulpotomized with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and restored with amalgam. In the laser group, the Ga-Al-As laser (810 nm, 0.3 W, 4 J/cm2, 9 s) was used on buccal and lingual gingiva of each tooth in 48 h intervals for 2 weeks. In order to observe the newly formed dentine, tetracycline was injected on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 14th day after the operation. Then, ground sections of teeth were observed under a fluorescence microscope. The data was analyzed with Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) test. The mean distance between the lines of tetracycline formed on the 1st and 14th day was significantly higher in the laser group (P = 0.005). Within the limitation of this study, irradiation of Ga-Al-As laser (810 nm) can accelerate the rate of dentinogenesis in apexogenesis of immature permanent teeth with MTA in dogs.