The bactericidal effect of a Genius® Nd:YAG laser

• Published in: International journal of dental hygiene 2010-02, Vol.8 (1), p.63-67
• Main Authors: Kranendonk, AA, Van Der Reijden, WA, Van Winkelhoff, AJ, Van Der Weijden, GA
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agar; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans - radiation effects; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteroides - radiation effects; Bacteroides forsythus; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Chronic Periodontitis - microbiology; Colonies; Colony Count, Microbial; Dental hygiene; Dental Plaque - microbiology; Dentistry; Disinfection - instrumentation; Enumeration; Facial bones, jaws, teeth, parodontium: diseases, semeiology; Fusobacterium nucleatum; Fusobacterium nucleatum - radiation effects; Humans; in vitro; laser; Lasers; Lasers, Solid-State - therapeutic use; Materials Testing; Medical sciences; Microorganisms; Nd:YAG; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Pathogens; Peptostreptococcus - radiation effects; Porphyromonas gingivalis; Porphyromonas gingivalis - radiation effects; Prevotella intermedia; Prevotella intermedia - radiation effects; Radiation Dosage; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1601-5029; 1601-5037
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2009.00375.x

:  Purpose: To evaluate the ‘in vitro’ bactericidal effect of the Nd:YAG laser (Genius, MØlsgaard Dental, Copenhagen, Denmark) on six periodontal pathogens. Methods: Suspensions of six different periodontal pathogens (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Parvimonas micra) were prepared in small Eppendorff tubes, and exposed to a Nd:YAG laser for five different periods of time. Laser settings used: Power 6 Watt (on a scale of 1–12 W), Frequency 50 Hz, Pulse duration 250 μs. After exposure to the laser, aliquots of the suspensions were spread on blood agar plates for bacterial counting. Results: After 5 s of laser exposure, there was a decrease in total colony forming units for all six selected microorganisms. After 15, 30 and 45 s, no viable bacterial cells could be retrieved. Conclusion: In this ‘in vitro’ model, 15 s of Nd:YAG laser use was found to be effective for total killing of the six tested periodontal pathogens.