• Medical Lasers
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.185-188
• /
• 2021

Onychomycosis is the most common disease of the nail, with a worldwide prevalence of 5.5%. It causes local pain, paresthesia, and cosmetic problems and decreases the patients' quality of life. Conventional treatments include the administration of topical and systemic agents. However, factors such as subungual hyperkeratosis and biofilm formation may affect the efficacy of these treatments. Moreover, side effects associated with systemic agents are a major concern for patients. Therefore, various novel treatments are being developed; among them, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and Nd:YAG laser are promising, and several studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of PDT and laser therapy. Here, we report the efficacy and tolerability of PDT combined with 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser therapy and topical efinaconazole for the treatment of three patients with refractory onychomycosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.41 no.5
• /
• pp.494-503
• /
• 1994

Background: Fibrostenosis of large airway due to tuberculosis is one of the most perplexing clinical problems not only because it can lead to respiratory failure but also because of difficulty in the management. No one technique, such as balloon dilatation or insertion of self expandable metallic stent, has proved totally satisfactory in the management of fibrostenosis. We evaluated the effect of laser therapy in patient with severe fibrostenosis due to tuberculosis. Method: We classified the fibrostenosis to three types by bronchoscopic finding - the diaphragm type: stenosed by fibrous diaphragm, sparing the tracheobronchial wall, the collapse type: stenosed by collapse of the wall due to destruction of the cartilage, and the combined type: stenosed by nonspecific inflammatory scar tissue within internal lumen with collapse of the wall. We have treated 10 patients complaining dyspnea due to with severe fibrostenosis of the diaphargm or the combined type using a neodymiumyttrium aluminum garnet(Nd-Y AG) laser through a flexible bronchoscopy. Results: Eight of the 10 cases improved after laser therapy and maintained during a follow up period of average 31.9 months. All of the cases undergoing laser therapy showed no serious complication to need the therapy. Conclusion: The results of our present study indicate that the Nd-YAG laser therapy is an effective and safe method for the management of selective tuberculous fibrostenosis.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.77-87
• /
• 2022

Purpose: This pilot study assessed the immediate in vivo effect of high peak pulse power neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser monotherapy on selected red/orange complex periodontal pathogens in deep human periodontal pockets. Methods: Twelve adults with severe periodontitis were treated with the Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP®) surgical protocol, wherein a free-running, digitally pulsed, Nd:YAG dental laser was used as the initial therapeutic step before mechanical root debridement. Using a flexible optical fiber in a handpiece, Nd:YAG laser energy, at a density of 196 J/cm² and a high peak pulse power of 1,333 W/pulse, was directed parallel to untreated tooth root surfaces in sequential coronal-apical passes to clinical periodontal probing depths, for a total applied energy dose of approximately 8-12 joules per millimeter of periodontal probing depth at each periodontal site. Subgingival biofilm specimens were collected from each patient before and immediately after Nd:YAG laser monotherapy from periodontal pockets exhibiting ≥6 mm probing depths and bleeding on probing. Selected red/orange complex periodontal pathogens (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra, and Campylobacter species) were quantified in the subgingival samples using established anaerobic culture techniques. Results: All immediate post-treatment subgingival biofilm specimens continued to yield microbial growth after Nd:YAG laser monotherapy. The mean levels of total cultivable red/orange complex periodontal pathogens per patient significantly decreased from 12.0% pretreatment to 4.9% (a 59.2% decrease) immediately after Nd:YAG laser monotherapy, with 3 (25%) patients rendered culture-negative for all evaluated red/orange complex periodontal pathogens. Conclusions: High peak pulse power Nd:YAG laser monotherapy, used as the initial step in the LANAP® surgical protocol on mature subgingival biofilms, immediately induced significant reductions of nearly 60% in the mean total cultivable red/orange complex periodontal pathogen proportions per patient prior to mechanical root instrumentation and the rest of the LANAP® surgical protocol.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.47 no.6
• /
• pp.857-862
• /
• 1999

In contrast to juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis, which occurs most often in children and teenagers and is usually self limited, soliatry papillomas in adults are one of uncommon tumors of airway, and have a higher incidence of cancer. They are caused by the respiratory infection of human papilloma virus(HPV). They could spread to more distal airways and have a tendency of recurrence after limited surgical excision. Recently endoscopic therapies such as Nd-YAG laser, electrocautery, and cryotherapy provide extremely effective treatment modalities. We report a case of solitary tracheal papillomas in a 48 year-old man who presented with cough, scanty hemoptysis, and functional evidence of central airway obstruction. He was successfully treated by a Nd-YAG laser therapy via fiberoptic bronchoscopy under the local anesthesia.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.522-530
• /
• 1996

Most dentists are very interested in laser therapy on the intraoral soft tissue lesions because they want to accomplish the analgesic and aseptic surgery with little or no bleeding. In order to determine the difference of pain threshold according to different gingival tissues with or without inflammation, 25 patients with inflammatory periodontal disease and 10 volunteers with good general and oral health were selected as the inflamed group and the normal group, respectively. Interdental papilla, marginal gingiva, attached gingiva, and alveolar mucosa were irradiated by the contact delivery($300{\mu]m$ fiber optic, for 5 seconds) of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser(EN.EL.EN06O, Italy). And the laser power was gradually increased from 0.5W by the increment of 0.1W. The highest laser power was recorded as the first painful power when the painful gesture was recognized at first. The difference of the first painful power of laser according to different gingival tissues with or without inflammation was statistically analyzed by paired t-test in MICROSTAT program. Following results were obtained: 1. In the comparison related with the inflammation, the first painful power was significantly lower in the inflamed group than in the normal group, regardless of interdental papilla and marginal gingiva(p<0.05). 2. In the comparison related with the tissue structure, the first painful. power was significantly lower in alveolar mucosa than in attached gingiva(p<0.05). The results suggest that, for the painless therapy by a pulsed-Nd:YAG laser irradiation, the laser surgery over 2.0W of power should be necessarily accomplished under the local anethesia, and the local anesthesia should be considered according to the degree of inflammation, the tissue structure, and the purpose of laser therapy.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.819-828
• /
• 1997

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the abrasion-resistance of root surface after NaF iontophoresis, Nd:YAG laser irradiation and combined treatment 50 anterior teeth with flat interproximal root surface that had been extracted due to periodontal destruction were selected. All teeth were treated by the same procedure as conventional periodontal root treatment, such as scaling and root planing, root conditioning with tetracycline HCI(lOOmg/ml, 5min). The pre-treatment weight of each tooth was measured by a dial scale(SHIMADEU Co, LIBROR EB-220HU, capacity 220.000 g, Japan). All teeth were divided into 5 groups as follows: Nd:YAG laser irradiation(group 1, 1 W, 100 mJ, 10Hz, fiberoptic-root surface distance=5mm, $10\;sec.{\times}6times$, EL.EN.EN060, Italy): NaF iontophoresis(group 2, $150{\mu}A$, 4 min}: Nd:YAG laser irradiation following NaF iontophoresis(group 3): NaF iontophoresis following Nd:YAG laser irradiation(group 4): No treatment(control group). Electric toothbrushing (Oral-B, Brown Co, Germany) was conducted during 1 hour($lO\;min.{\times}6\;times$). Subsequently post-treatment weight was remeasured by the same method as pre-treatment weight measurement. The difference of abrasion rate among all groups was statistically analyzed by ANOVA(SAS program). Following results were obtained: 1. The abrasion rate was significantly lower in Nd:YAG laser irradiation group than NaF iontophoresis group(p < 0.001). 2. The abrasion rate was significantly lower in combined groups of Nd:YAG laser irradiation and NaF iontophoresis than either Nd:YAG laser irradiation group or NaF iontophoresis group(p < 0.001). 3. There was no significant difference in abrasion rate according to application order in the combined groups(p > 0.05). 4. The abrasion rate was significantly lower in all experimental groups than control group(p < 0.001). The results suggest that combined treatment of Nd:YAG laser irradiation and NaF iontophoresis on exposed root surface after periodontal therapy can enhance the abrasion-resistance of root surface and may inhibit the root caries development.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.415-425
• /
• 2000

In order to obtain the basic data concerning the optimal lasing conditions in using Nd:YAG laser as an adjunctive modality of periodontal therapy of root planing without irreversible structural deterioration of cervical cementum, the author selected 36 human teeth having no cervical abrasion and caries (; 12 anteriors, 12 premolars. 12 molars) extracted due to periodontal diseases, and divided them into 4 groups as Group I, II, III and IV (; each group of 3 anteriors, 3 premolars, 3 molars), and prepared a cementum specimen with thickness of $1.0mm{\pm}0.2mm$ sectioned longitudinally at the middle of mesio-distal thickness (; Group I) or horizontally at 1mm-2mm below the cemento-enamel junction (; Group II, III, IV) from each tooth of each group by low speed diamond wheel saw, and treated them with 0.5 M ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (; EDTA, pH=7.4) for 2 minutes for elimination of remnants during tooth-sectioning. And the author applied the laser energy from a fiberoptic delivered, free running, pulsed Nd:YAG laser (; wavelength 1064nm. pulse duration $120{\mu}sec$, fiber diameter $320{{\mu}m}$) to cementum surfaces in triplicates of one experiment under the following lasing conditions: 1. stationary mode of fiber in contact to cementum surfaces without air-spray (; Group I )/with air-spray (; Group II), 2. unidirectional moving mode of fiber in contact to cementum surfaces under speed of 3mm-4mm/sec without air-spray (; Group III)/with air-spray (; Group IV), 3. energy per pulse (mJ/pulse) [; energy density ($J/cm^{2}$)] in order of 1.0W/10Hz (100J/pulse); $124J/cm^{2}$, 0.5W/10Hz (50mJ/pulse); $62J/cm^{2}$, 0.4W/10Hz (40mJ/pulse); $50J/cm^{2}$, 0.3W/10Hz (30mJ/pulse); $37J/cm^{2}$, 4. exposure time of 1 second. And the author applied the platinum coating on surfaces of cementum specimens, and evaluated the characteristics of ultrastructural change on surfaces of cementum using the scanning electron microscopy. In general the ultrastructural loss of cervical cementum irradiated under the same lasing condition of laser energy density occurred least in specimens of Group IV. And especially, the ultrastructural loss of cervical cementum irradiated under the laser energy density of $37J/cm^{2}$ almost did not occur in specimens of Group IV. Therefore, it is considered that the pulsed Nd:YAG laser should be applied with the lasing conditions of unidirectional moving mode of fiber in contact to cementum surfaces under speed of 3mm-4mm/sec with air-spray and of laser energy density within $37J/cm^{2}$ as an adjunctive modality of periodontal therapy of root planing without irreversible structural deterioration of cervical cementum.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.411-424
• /
• 1997

The purpose of this study was to evaluate in vitro the effects during subgingival calculus removal using Nd:YAG laser. The study group was consisted of 30 teeth with advanced periodontal disease extracted before the start of periodontal therapy. The specimens were divided into 8 different groups : 1) untreated control 2) scaling and root planing only 3) laser treated using 150mJ/pulse, 1sec, 5sec, contact mode 4) laser treated using 200mJ/pulse, 5sec, contact mode 5) laser treated using 150mJ/pulse, 1sec, non-contact mode 6) laser treated using 200mJ/pulse, 5sec, non-contact mode 7) laser treated using l5OmJ/pulse, 1sec, contact mode with water irrigation 8) laser treated using 200mJ/pulse, 5sec, contact mode with water irrigation. All specimens were prepared for evaluation by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Specimens from Group 2 exhibited a smear layer of scale like texture with parallel instrument tracks resulting from curet use. Specimens treated by contact mode, Group 3 and 4 featured surface changes not observed· in controls such as charring, randomly distributed pitting and crater formation, and melting down of the tooth material and calculus. Specimens treated by noncontact mode, Group 5 and 6 featured similar surface changes observed in contact mode. However, the differences between contact and non-contact groups not significant. Specimens treated by contact mode with water irrigation, Group 7 and 8 featured slight surface change compared to other groups. The results suggested that Nd: YAG laser did not completely remove the subgingival calculus but was possible the application as adjunctive method.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.614-622
• /
• 1995

Root caries is very frequently developed on exposed root surface after periodontal surgical treatment. In order to determine the anti-caries effect of Nd : YAG laser irradiation on periodontally exposed root surface, 40 mandibular molar teeth that had been extracted due to excessive periodontal destruction were used as the experimental teeth. All teeth were treated by the same procedure as conventional periodontal root treatment, ie thorough scaling, root planing and root conditioning with tetracycline HCl(100mg/ml, 5min.). Within middle one third of root, mesial half surface(20) or distal half surface(20) was randomly irradiated at various power of 1.0W, 2.0W, 3.0W and 4.0W for 60 seconds by non-contact(5mm) delivery of a pulsed Nd : YAG laser(EN.EL.EN060, Italy). The microhardness was measured by Vikers microhardness tester(Wilson, USA) at 2mm/second of jog speed under 100gm load. The difference of microhardness between irradiated side and non-irradiated side was statistically analyzed ANOVA and Duncan's method. Following results were obtained ; 1. The microhardness(Knoop hardness number) was significantly higher in laser irradiated surface than non-irradiated surface(p<0.05). 2. There was no significant difference in microhardness between experimental groups classified by different laser power(p>0.1). The results suggest that Nd : YAG laser irradiation on exposed root suface after periodontal therapy may inhibit the root caries development by enhancing surface microhardness.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.495-514
• /
• 1997

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of Nd:YAG laser irradiation on removal of a root surface smear layer after root planing in comparison with Tetracycline HCl. The 60 extracted human teeth due to severe periodontal disease were vigorously scaled and root planed with Gracey curet. Thirty specimen($5{\times}5{\times}2mm$) were obtained from root planed surface of 30 human teeth and assigned randomly to one of three groups : root planed group(5 specimen), Tetracycline HCI group(5 specimen, burnished for 5 minutes), and Nd:YAG laser group(25 specimen, German Dental Laser, Fotona Twinlight). Nd:YAG laser group was divided into 4 subgroups according to power of 1W, 1.5W, 2W, 3W at frequency to 10Hz. The specimen were then fixed, and examed by Scanning electron microscopic study. 30 of 60 human teeth used to measurement of the intrapulpal temperature rise during laser irradiation. Laser-irradiated surface exhibited various surface texture from relative flat surface to irregular surface with patent dentinal tubules of various shape and size. In some area, the root surface alteration which are carbonization, pit and crater formation and melting and resolidification were observed. The number of exposed dentinal tubules per unit($100_{\mu}m^2$) on tetracycline HCI group was more than that in the laser group below 1.5W of power(150mJ/pulse) and was significantly less than that in laser group above 2W of power(200mJ/pulse)(P<0.OOl). As power increased the intrapulpal temperature rise also increased. The result suggested that the parameter which effectively remove root surface smear layer than tetracycline HCI may cause thermal damage to pulp and root surface alteration result from laser exposure would indicate need for additional instrumentation. Thus, Nd:YAG laser irradiation in these parameter may not be appropriate for clinical use as adjunct to conventional periodontal therapy.