Osteotomy is a common procedure in clinical practice, traditionally performed using rotary and mechanical instruments. While these tools are widely accepted, even with cooling systems, it can be challenging to fully prevent thermal and tissue damage. To address this, Kanazirski et al. (2023) introduced the LiteTouch™ Er:YAG Laser as an alternative, aiming to explore its synergistic potential combined with conventional methods.

Results: In the rotary drill group, the bone surface appeared smooth but was accompanied by bone fragments, a thicker smear layer, and microcracks due to mechanical trauma. In contrast, the LiteTouch™ group displayed smooth, well-defined borders, with the bone structure remaining intact. The laser-treated bone showed empty intratrabecular spaces, with no signs of carbonization or melting, and a thin smear layer only in certain areas at higher magnification.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that osteotomy surfaces treated with the LiteTouch™ Er:YAG Laser suffer biomodification, eliminating the smear layer without altering the bone bed’s structural integrity.

To read more about lasers in Implantology go to www.light-inst.com/applications/implantology/