Demographic Assessment of Laser Therapies in 0–18-year-olds: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Materials a n d MethodsThe study was conducted in the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistr y. Ethical clearance was taken from Institutional Ethical Committee, under protocol no. ITSCDSR/IIEC/RP/2021/017. Study DesignA retrospective observational study was designed, and data was collected from practicing Software Orion, being used in the institution, pertaining to laser therapies conducted in the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry in 0-18-year-old from April 2017 to April 2021. introductionLaser is an advanced technology introduced by Theodore Mainman in 1960, and since then, laser technology has been making inroads into a lot of areas of dentistry due to its unique properties, such as a bloodless field of surgery, less operating time, and less patient discomfort. 1 Laser is a type of electromagnetic energy that is directional, collimated, monochromatic, and coherent (in time and space). Depending on the laser wavelength and optical tissue properties, the laser works accordingly on various types of tissues; diode laser is being popularly used in the field of dentistry with wavelengths of 810-980 nm in the range of visible and invisible near-infrared light. 1,2 Laser has gained importance in medical and dental fields due to its unique properties, such as it provides a bloodless field of surgery, thus providing a clear field of surgery. Apart from this, it promotes fast wound healing with minimal chances of infection; the patient does not feel any vibration and discomfort and requires less operating time, which in turn increases the ease and comfort of the patient.Over the years, the application of laser has been explored in various treatment modalities in the field of dentistry like caries detection, cavity preparation, fluoride activation, pit and fissure application, wound healing, root canal disinfection, crown exposure, desensitization, ulcer healing, crown lengthening, bleaching of teeth, gingivectomy, frenectomy, pulpotomy, direct pulp capping, indirect pulp capping, etc. 3 The objective of this study was to assess the total number of procedures performed with diode lasers and their wide range of