Crystalline structure of dental enamel after Ho:YLF laser irradiation.

Irradiation of teeth with lasers using specific wavelengths and energy densities produces surface melting. This effect has been already applied to different procedures such as caries prevention and hypersensitivity reduction. The aim of this study is to characterize the crystalline structure of bovine enamel after holmium laser irradiation. A holmium laser (Ho:YLF) with emission wavelength of 2065 nm was used. Enamel tissues were irradiated in ablative regime and their structures before and after irradiation were analyzed using the powder X-ray diffraction technique. The X-ray diffraction patterns of non-irradiated enamel correspond to carbonated hydroxyapatite and those produced by irradiated samples indicate the existence of a mixture of two crystalline phases: hydroxyapatite and tetracalcium phosphate. The structural characteristics of holmium irradiated enamel were compared with those of the same tissue irradiated with other lasers.