The use of a laser for debridement of incipient caries.

The mode-locked YAG laser effectively removes debris and/or stains from incipient carious lesions in pits and fissures. Prior investigations inferred that the energy levels used in this study would not cause pulpal injury or remove sound intact enamel. This would be a desirable step in sealant therapy and could provide an improved method of debridement in treating precarious lesions.