The Effect of Er:YAG Laser on Entroccocus faecalis Bacterium in the Pulpectomy of Anterior Primary Teeth

Successful root canal therapy depends on the complete elimination of micro-organisms such as Entroccocus faecalis, which is impossible to achieve with the traditional methods. Lasers are recently introduced as a new method to solve the problem. The present study is planned and performed to examining the antibacterial effect of Er: YAG laser.
Sixty extracted anterior primary teeth were prepared and sterilized. E. faecalis bacterium was cultured in canals. Samples were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was disinfected by NaOCl 5/25% and Er: YAG laser and the second group just by NaOCl 5/25%. Samples of canal contents were cultured and colony counts were calculated. The results were analyzed statistically by SPSS software and Mann Whitney test.
There was no significant difference between colony counts in both groups (P = 0.142). But the number of colonies in the first group was lower than in the second group.
Although, Er: YAG laser cannot completely eliminate E. faecalis bacterium, its simultaneous use with NaOCl decreases E. faecalis.