M. Sivakumar

A mathematical description of surface texture development in laser-ablated dentin

A cone-shaped texture is observed when a transverse cross section of human dentin cut perpendicularly to the tooth axis is processed with KrF excimer laser radiation using appropriate processing parameters. In the present paper, a mathematical model describing the kinetics of cone growth as a function of the number of laser pulses is presented. It is shown that the fractional area occupied by cones is adequately described by a modified Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation and that the boundary lines between cones define a Voronoi tessellation generated from the corresponding initial tubule location. This model allows the surface texture evolution in dentin to be predicted from the initial tubule distribution.

Influence of tubule orientation on cone-shaped texture development in laser-ablated dentin

In the present paper, the influence of tubule orientation on surface texture development was studied. Specimens of dentin with a wide range of tubule orientations were extracted from caries-free human teeth, processed using KrF laser radiation, and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. When a transverse cross section of dentin cut perpendicularly to the tooth axis is processed with KrF laser radiation, a cone-like topography develops in the inner dentin where tubules are parallel to the laser beam. When laser processing is carried out in the outer dentin, because tubules are significantly tilted with respect to the laser beam, flat surfaces are achieved. The surface texture after laser processing depends effectively on the angle between the tubules and the laser beam. The dependency of cone growth on tubule orientation was confirmed using a simple differential ablation model.

KrF Excimer Laser Ablation of Human Enamel

Laser treatment is a promising technique for dental applications such as caries prevention, dental hypersensitivity reduction and improvement of bond strength of restoration materials. In this study the morphological, structural and chemical changes of enamel surface due to treatment with KrF excimer laser radiation were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. For radiation fluences near 1 J/cm², laser processing originates a relatively porous surface due to preferential removal of material in the enamel prism sheaths. Increasing the fluence leads to a relatively flat surface with clear evidence of surface melting. The X-ray diffractograms of both treated and untreated enamel are similar and correspond to hydroxyapatite. The only modification due to the laser treatment is a slight shift of the peaks, probably, due to a loss of the structural water of hydroxyapatite. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that organic matter is removed from the irradiated surface but no significant changes in the mineral phase occur.

Shear bond stress of composite bonded to excimer laser treated dentin

The aim of this work was to study the bond strength of resin composite bonded to dentin surfaces treated with KrF excimer laser radiation, untreated surfaces, and acid-etched surfaces using a single-plane shear method. Dentin specimens cut from freshly extracted permanent molar teeth were subjected to laser treatment with a KrF excimer laser (248 nm) using a fluence of 1 J/cm2. The bond strength was greater for acid-etched specimens than for laser treated or untreated specimens. The low strength of the bond to laser treated surfaces is probably due to a shift from a mixed to a cohesive rupture mechanism. It was concluded from this study that surface treatment of dentin surfaces with KrF excimer laser under the conditions described does not significantly improve the shear bond strength to composites.

Surface Texture Development in KrF Excimer Laser Ablation of Dentin

In the present paper, the influence of tubule orientation and areal density on the development of surface textures by excimer laser processing of dentin is analysed. Disks of dentin 2 mm thick were extracted from caries-free human teeth by cross-sectional cutting above the pulp cavity, polished and fixed using standard procedures. The samples were laser-processed using 100 laser pulses of 248 nm wavelength radiation at a fluence of 1 J/cm2, pulse duration of 30 ns and pulse frequency of 5 Hz. The surface texture after processing depends on the angle between the tubules and the laser beam. In inner dentin, where tubules are parallel to the laser beam, cone-like artefacts form, considerably increasing surface roughness. The cones are constituted by partially melted peritubular dentin and develop because the ablation rate of peritubular dentin is lower than the ablation rate of surrounding intertubular dentin. The areal density of cones is roughly identical to the areal density of tubules except when the tubule density is high enough to allow adjacent cones to coalesce. In outer dentin, where tubules are tilted with respect to the laser beam, the surface remains flat. The reason for this orientation dependence is that, when tubules are tilted towards the laser beam, preferential removal of intertubular dentin will expose an increased area of underlying peritubular dentin to laser radiation preventing cone development.

KrF laser treatment of human dentin

The present paper summarizes the results of a study of the morphological, structural and compositional changes caused on dentin by processing with KrF excimer laser (λ= 248 nm). Different surface textures are achieved depending on the structure of the samples and on the processing parameters. Independently of the radiation fluence used, a significant reduction of the organic material content is observed in a surface layer a few nanometers thick, but no significant changes in the mineral phase occur.

Bond Strength of an Etch-and-Rinse Adhesive to KrF Excimer Laser-Treated Dentin

OBJECTIVE The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of KrF excimer laser treatment on the bond strength between dentin and an etch-and-rinse adhesive system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Polished dentin surfaces were subjected to the following treatments: (1) 35% phosphoric acid etching for 15 s; (2) laser surface treatment using KrF excimer laser radiation (1 J/cm(2)); and (3) laser treatment under the same conditions followed by acid etching. After treating the dentin, an etch-and-rinse adhesive (Adper Scotchbond 1 XT, 3M ESPE) was applied and composite (Esthet-X, Dentsply Caulk, Konstanz, Germany) build-ups were incrementally constructed. After 24 h of water storage at 37 degrees C, 1 mm(2) beams were longitudinally cut from the samples. Microtensile sticks were loaded in tension at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Bond strength data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and the Student-Newman-Keuls test (p < 0.05). The dentin surfaces resulting from each surface treatment and the fracture surfaces originated by the bond-strength tests were observed under a scanning electron microscope. RESULTS Laser-treated surfaces exhibited a cone-shaped topography with a frank occlusion of dentinal tubules, while acid etching produced a smoother surface with open tubules. Application of 35% phosphoric acid on laser-treated dentin surfaces resulted in the partial dissolution of the surface cones. Mean microtensile bond strengths for acid-etched dentin was significantly higher (33.7 +/- 8.7 MPa) than for laser-treated (13.8 +/- 5.1 MPa) and laser-treated and etched surfaces (19.7 +/- 6.9 MPa). A higher percentage of cohesive failures at the base of the cones occurred in the laser-treated group, whereas mixed failures were predominant on acid-etched samples. CONCLUSION The cone-shaped texture produced by treating dentin with KrF laser radiation does not improve the bond strength of the tested etch-and rinse adhesive system when compared to the traditional acid-etching technique.

Shear bond strength of adhesive to KrF excimer laser treated enamel

The bond strength of resin composite bonded to enamel surfaces treated with KrF excimer laser radiation, acid-etched surfaces and laser treated surfaces subjected to acid-etching was studied using a single plane shear method. Enamel specimens were prepared from freshly extracted healthy incisors. The specimens were subjected to laser treatment with a KrF excimer laser (248 nm) using a fluence of 4 J/cm². The bond strength to acid-etched specimens was greater than laser treated specimens. In contrast, bond strength to laser treated specimens subjected to acid-etching was comparable to those obtained with acid-etched specimens. The analogous bond strength to these specimens as compared to acid etched specimens was probably due to a shift from adhesive to mixed rupture mechanism.

Surface modification of dental tissues by KrF excimer laser radiation

Laser treatment is a promising technique for dental applications such as caries removal, dental hypersensitivity reduction and improvement of the bond strength between dentin and restoration materials. In this study the topographic and morphological changes induced in enamel and dentin surfaces by treating with KrF excimer laser radiation were studied as a function of the number of laser pulses and radiation fluence by scanning electron microscopy and optical profilometry. For enamel, independently of the fluence used, material removal occurs preferentially at the prisms sheaths, leading to the formation of surface pits of a few micrometers. For dentin, a cone-like topography develops when the tubules are approximately parallel to the laser beam direction and the radiation fluence is within the range 0.5 to 1.5 J/cm2. For higher fluences, the treated surfaces are flat and covered with a layer of re-solidified materials.

Surface Treatment of Human Dentin by KrF Laser

In the present work, dentin samples extracted from human molar teeth were treated with 248 nm wavelength pulsed laser radiation at fluences between 0.5 and 20 J/cm2. The surfaces were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and x-photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Two distinct behaviours were observed in what concerns the evolution of surface morphology with fluence and number of pulses. In some samples the surface remained flat, independently of the fluence and covered by a layer of resolidified material and redeposited ablation particles, which often occluded the dentinal structure. In other samples the surface topography depended on radiation fluence. For fluences below 1 J/cm2, intertubular dentin was preferentially removed, originating a columnar structure where columns were centred on the dentinal tubules and constituted by peritubular dentin. The height of the columns increased with the number of laser pulses. When fluence exceeded 1 J/cm2 the processed surface remained flat, covered with a fine resolidified layer. These distinct behaviours of dentin can be explained by differences in the constitution of this composite biological material. Despite the topographic changes observed, the mineral phase of dentin (apatite) remained unaltered and collagen was removed only from the outermost superficial layers of the processed material. This fact is explained by the constitution and structure of dentin and by the physical properties and electronic structure of its main constituents. Taking into consideration the results obtained and the bond type and properties of the constituents of dentin, it is suggested that the ablation of collagen occurs by a photochemical mechanism while the ablation of apatite is photothermal.