Efficacy of lasers as an adjunct to
chemo-mechanical disinfection of infected
root canals: a systematic review
H. Fransson1*, K. M. Larsson2 & E. Wolf1
1Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Odontology, Malmo ̈ University, Malmo ̈; and 2Department of Pedodontics, Faculty of
Odontology, Malmo ̈ University, Malmo ̈, Sweden
Abstract
The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of various types
of lasers used as an adjunct to chemo-mechanical dis-
infection of infected root canals with the outcome
measures ‘normal periapical condition’ or ‘reduction
of microbial load’. PubMed, CENTRAL and ISI Web of
Knowledge literature searches with specific indexing
terms and a subsequent hand search were made with
stated limits and criteria. Relevant publications were
retrieved, followed by interpretation. The quality of
each included publication was assessed as high, mod-
erate or low. The initial search process yielded 234
publications. All abstracts of these publications were
read, and the reference lists of relevant publications
were hand-searched. Ten articles were read in full text and interpreted according to a data extraction
form. Five were included in the systematic review and
were assessed. A meta-analysis was impossible to per-
form because the included studies were heterogeneous
with regard to study design, treatment and outcome
measures. Positive effects were reported; however, no
concluding evidence grade could be made because
each included study was judged to have low quality,
primarily due to lack of a power analysis, blinding
and reproducibility. The evidence grade for whether
lasers can be recommended as an adjunct to chemo-
mechanical disinfection of infected root canals was
insufficient. This does not necessarily imply that laser
should not be used as an adjunct to root canal treat-
ment but instead underscores the need for future
high-quality studies.
Keywords: chemo-mechanical, disinfection, endodon-
tics, infection, lasers, systematic review.
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