Carbon dioxide laser has been used in dental surgery. The existence of healthy teeth, which have pulp vitality needing to be preserved, is observed in a great number of cases. In this work we describe an experimental model which provides the measurement of temperature in pulp chamber `in vivo,' during oral surgeries in which the CO₂ laser beam is applied to gingival tissue. The problems met during the search for the best way to place the thermal probe regarding the diameter and depth of pulp chamber and the thickness of the tissue layer formed by gum and maxillary bone are discussed. We use a thermocouple placed in the pulp chamber of superior canine teeth in dogs. After that, the probe was also placed between gum and dental root. Since the temperature at gingival surface was known, it was easy to determine the rise in temperature at pulp chamber and also to observe the thermal gradient from gum to tissue to bone, thus avoiding pulp damage during laser applications.

Date Published: 7 September 1994
PDF: 4 pages
Proc. SPIE 2128, Laser Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems IV, (7 September 1994); doi: 10.1117/12.184920

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2128:
Laser Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems IV
R. Rox Anderson M.D.; R. Rox Anderson M.D., Editor(s)