Future directions of lasers in dental medicine.

Dental practitioners continue to serve as leaders in the development of laser applications for dental surgery. Laser wavelengths ranging from the ultra-violet excimer lasers to the far-infrared carbon-dioxide lasers are now used in dental research with greater frequency. By using new and emerging laser media, researchers can now demonstrate advances in the fields of laser diagnostics, photocoagulation, photoablation, and laser tissue-welding. Dental laser therapy is rapidly emerging as an increasingly significant portion of the dental armamentarium. As advances in laser media and miniaturized delivery systems continue, dental laser research will continue to focus on the risk-benefit ratios and viability of specific laser applications. This paper reviews significant laser research of the past year, covering such areas as laser history, laser types, and laser biophysics. Finally, the future implications for dentistry of the most recent advances in laser therapies on hard and soft tissues is reviewed.