Surface treatment of enamel with laser--a potential alternative for acid etching--an in vitro study.

An in-vitro study was carried out on 80 human premolars to study the use of Nd:YAG laser as a potential alternative for acid etching in the surface treatment of enamel prior to sealant application. The determination of bond strength using Universal Testing Machine, Model 1011 and marginal leakage using the spectrophotometric dye recovery method showed no statistically significant difference between the groups with laser and acid surface treatments. But, there was a significantly lower bond strength and increased dye penetration in the group with no surface treatment. Scanning electron microscopic study of the interface between sealant and enamel surface of the acid and laser treated specimens was also carried out.