The objective of this study was to evaluate carbon-dioxide laser surgical treatment of pulpal exposures in canine patients. Seventeen permanent teeth with exposures of less than or equal to 48 h were randomly allocated to receive either (1) localized laser pulp surgery to remove all compromised soft tissues or (2) localized pulp surgery using a large round sterile bur under sterile saline irrigation. Single laser pulses were used at 0.01 s pulse duration, 1.0 s pulse interval, a spot size of 0.004 cm2 and an energy density of 276 J/cm2. Exposures were dressed with CaOH and glass ionomer. Clinical and radiographic evaluations were performed by one blinded clinician 4, 12, 24 and 52 weeks after treatment using standard scales of 0-(-1). Fifteen/seventeen laser-treated teeth assessed over greater than or equal to 1 year post-treatment remained clinically and radiographically healthy. ©2005 Copyright SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering.
