Laser technology has been recently introduced into the dental field with the idea to replace drilling.Having a less painful first dental experience by the use of modern instruments like laser can be an efficient preventive and therapeutic strategy in pediatric dentistry

Pedodontists need to learn the new less invasive technologies and adopt them in their routine practice.This study aimed to review the available types of lasers and their applications in pediatric dentistry

An electronic search was carried out in IranMedex, InterScience, Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed ProQuest, Medline and Google Scholar databases to find relevant articles published from 2000 to 2014 Relevant textbooks were reviewed as well. Laser can be used as a suitable alternative to many conventional diagnostic and therapeutic dental procedures

It is especially efficient for caries detection and removal, pulp therapy, lowering the risk of infection,inflammation and swelling and reducing bleeding

On the other hand, due to minimal invasion, laser treatment is well tolerated by children. Improved patient cooperation leads to higher satisfaction of the parents, dentists and the children themselves

Source: 26464775 PubMed

Publication date: 2015 Summer