Effects of the Erbium-yag Fotona laser on bone repair and subcutaneous tissue in rats.

• Grant number: 25/01195-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Roberta Okamoto
• Grantee: Bruna Leal Barbosa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FOA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Promising versatility, the lasers currently developed for dentistry aim to improve repair and healing processes through photobiomodulation. Additionally, the milling potential of this tool ensures a bactericidal effect combined with wound cauterization, reducing bleeding and providing better visualization of the procedure for the dental surgeon. With the objective of understanding alveolar and subcutaneous bone repair, this study will observe the action of the Fotona® LightWalker laser and the Pioon Medical Diode Laser in rats. For this purpose, young adult male Wistar rats will be divided into groups according to the area of interest: to analyze subcutaneous tissue repair, eight groups will be formed, while for alveolar repair analysis, two groups will be formed. As a positive control, there will be a group in which the subcutaneous incision technique will be performed with a conventional cold scalpel, and a group in which the tooth extraction technique will follow the conventional method. The remaining groups will receive different treatments, including photobiomodulation with Neodymium-Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) followed by a subcutaneous incision with a conventional cold scalpel, subcutaneous incision with Erbium-Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Er:YAG), photobiomodulation with Nd:YAG followed by a subcutaneous incision with Er:YAG, subcutaneous incision with a blue diode laser, photobiomodulation with Nd:YAG followed by an incision with a blue diode laser (450 nm, 3W), subcutaneous incision with Nd:YAG, photobiomodulation with Nd:YAG followed by an incision also with Nd:YAG, and finally, photobiomodulation with Nd:YAG and extraction of the upper right central incisor. Euthanasia of the animals will be performed at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after the surgical procedure for the study of decalcified tissues using immunohistochemistry techniques, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Quantitative data will be subjected to the appropriate statistical test (parametric or non-parametric), with a significance level of 5%.