Introduction: Peri-implantitis is a relatively new and difficult disease that is becoming more common. Of the different therapeutic options to manage this condition, lasers show certain advantages over other therapeutic alternatives because of their antibacterial potential.
Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the temperature rise of implant surfaces, soft tissues, and bone during irradiation with diode, CO2, and Er:YAG lasers.
Materials and methods: Ten implants inserted in biological models were irradiated with three laser systems with different parameters: a diode laser (980 nm) with power levels of 0.75 W and 1.6 W; a CO2 laser (10600 nm) with power levels of 252 W and 241 W; and an Er:YAG laser (2940 nm) with power levels of 1.5 W, 6.8 W, and 7.5 W. The temperature rise was measured using a specially designed thermal probe (type K thermocouple) with accuracy of ±0.1°C over the range from 20°C to 80°C. The temperature was measured at 5 points - in the implant body, in the mucosa, in the middle part of the implant, in the implant apex, and in the bone around the implant apex. Measurements were obtained at 1 minute working interval.
Results: Diode and CO2 lasers with both parameters used increased significantly the temperature of more than 46°C, whereas the temperature in the Er:YAG laser group was less than 30°C. There was a statistically significant difference between diode, CO2, and Er:YAG lasers in favor of the erbium laser.
Conclusions: The Er:YAG laser demonstrates the best thermal properties during irradiation of the implant surface. The three working modes tested - 1.5 W, 6.8 W, and 7.5 W - provide safe intervention on both the soft and bone tissues of the implant interface and on the implant itself.
Keywords: CO2 laser; Er:YAG laser; diode laser; peri-implantitis; temperature; thermal changes.
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