Advances in the prevention and monitoring of root dentin demineralization using lasers

Abstract

The increase in the life expectancy and the longer permanence of the teeth in the oral cavity also led to an augment in the prevalence of root caries lesions. These lesions require more attention because of their rapid progression and difficulty in early diagnosis and monitoring. In this context, the irradiation of the tissues with high intensity lasers has been shown as an important way for preventing lesion formation because lasers chemically modify the irradiated dental hard tissues and make them more resistant to acid challenge. In addition, the association with ceramic biomaterials may allow additional remineralizing results. Together with therapeutics, the effective early diagnosis of incipient lesions is indispensable. Techniques that use lasers, such as optical coherence tomography, have also been promising in this aspect because they allow the early diagnosis and monitoring of demineralizations with high resolution and in a non-detrimental way. This article aims to show the actions of high intensity laser therapies when associated or not with biomaterials, on the prevention and remineralization of root caries lesions, as well as the effectiveness of optical coherence tomography in the diagnosis and monitoring the effects of the treatments in these lesions.