Laser-induced effects on tooth structure VII. X-ray diffraction study of dentine exposed to a CO2 laser

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate crystallographic changes in lased dentine. With the aid of the X-ray diffraction method it was shown that recrystallization occurred in dentine due to laser irradiation. Simultaneously, growth in the crystal size of the crystallites was observed, and dentine of a low order of crystallinity changed structurally in such a way that it came to closely resemble the crystalline structure of the hydroxyapatite of normal enamel.