The effects of argon laser irradiation on enamel decalcification: An in vivo study.

Enamel decalcification is a significant problem in orthodontic patients. The argon laser has been shown to reduce decalcification during an acidic challenge in vitro. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo effects of argon laser irradiation on enamel decalcification during orthodontic treatment. Nine volunteers whose treatment plans included 4 first premolar extractions were enrolled in the study. The 36 extracted premolars were assigned to 1 of the following 4 groups: group 1, control group with no treatment; group 2 (pumice-laser), teeth were pumiced for 3 seconds and treated with a 325 mW, 5-mm diameter laser beam for 60 seconds; group 3 (pumice-etch-laser), teeth were pumiced for 3 seconds, acid-etched with 30% phosphoric acid for 30 seconds, and treated for 60 seconds with laser; and group 4 (laser only), teeth were treated for 60 seconds with laser. A specially designed (oversized) orthodontic band was fitted on each of the premolars to create a pocket for decalcification. The bands were cemented in place for 5 weeks. After extraction, the teeth were sectioned and examined under polarized light microscopy. Images of lesions were digitally analyzed and measured. Average lesion depths were calculated from 3 depth measurements recorded 10 microm apart. Average lesion area was calculated with the aid of imaging analysis software. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance (P <.05) and Student t tests. Significant differences were found in lesion depth (P <.001) and lesion area (P <.01) among the 4 test groups. The average lesion depths were 15.93 +/- 9.31 microm (control), 6.45 +/- 8.70 microm (pumice-laser), 1.71 +/- 4.82 microm (pumice-etch-laser), and 1.34 +/- 3.80 microm (laser only). The average lesion areas were 1028.67 +/- 725.68 microm (2) (control), 555.49 +/- 948.20 microm (2) (pumice-laser), 79.91 +/- 226.03 microm (2) (pumice-etch-laser), and 55.71 +/- 157.59 microm (2) (laser only). The average lesion depth in the laser-only group was reduced by 94.1% and the average lesion area was reduced by 94.4% when compared with the control group. In the pumice-etch-laser group, the average lesion depth was reduced by 89.1% and the average lesion area was reduced by 92.2% when compared with the control group. There were no significant differences in lesion depth and lesion area between maxillary and mandibular teeth (P <.06 and P <.08, respectively) and between the teeth on the right and left sides (P <.68 and P <.55, respectively). These results show that argon laser irradiation is effective in reducing enamel decalcification during orthodontic treatment. Pumicing and etching do not appear to reduce the effect of laser on enamel solubility.