title: Clinical and radiological course in apicoectomies with the Erbium:YAG laser.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A study is made of the efficacy of the Erbium:YAG laser in granulomatous periapical lesions, based on clinical and radiographic controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised a series of 45 patients amenable to periapical surgical treatment of incisors, canines and premolars. A conventional surgical technique was used, with silver amalgam retrograde filling and irradiation of the bone defect and remnant root cement with the Erbium:YAG laser. Clinical and radiographic controls were made during 24 months, assessing the absence of symptoms and the presence of pain, swelling or fistula and ossification of the lesions, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical course proved asymptomatic in 95.5% of the cases. As regards remodeling of the bone cavity, 77.7% had completed ossification after 24 months, 13.3% were in an advanced stage of ossification and 4.5% in an intermediate stage, while 4.5% showed treatment failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of silver amalgam and irradiation with the Erbium:YAG laser in periapical surgery showed a very high clinical success rate, with a 77.7% bone cavity remodeling rate after 24 months.
authors.affiliation: European University of Madrid, Spain. maria.leco@uem.es
authors.forename: María Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Leco Berrocal
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martínez González
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Donado Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum; D004871:Erbium; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D010483:Periapical Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography; D013997:Time Factors; D015019:Yttrium
chemical_list: C503779:yttrium-aluminum-garnet; D015019:Yttrium; D004871:Erbium; D000535:Aluminum