title: Femtosecond laser ablation of dentin and enamel: relationship between laser fluence and ablation efficiency.
abstract: The objective was to study the relationship between laser fluence and ablation efficiency of a femtosecond laser with a Gaussian-shaped pulse used to ablate dentin and enamel for prosthodontic tooth preparation. A diode-pumped thin-disk femtosecond laser with wavelength of 1025 nm and pulse width of 400 fs was used for the ablation of dentin and enamel. The laser spot was guided in a line on the dentin and enamel surfaces to form a groove-shaped ablation zone under a series of laser pulse energies. The width and volume of the ablated line were measured under a three-dimensional confocal microscope to calculate the ablation efficiency. Ablation efficiency for dentin reached a maximum value of 0.020 mm3∕J when the laser fluence was set at 6.51 J∕cm2. For enamel, the maximum ablation efficiency was 0.009 mm3∕J at a fluence of 7.59 J∕cm2.Ablation efficiency of the femtosecond laser on dentin and enamel is closely related to the laser fluence and may reach a maximum when the laser fluence is set to an appropriate value.
authors.affiliation: Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology and National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, and Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Digital Dentistry of Ministry of Health, Center of Digital D.
authors.forename: Hu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology and National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, and Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Digital Dentistry of Ministry of Health, Center of Digital D.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology and National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, and Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Digital Dentistry of Ministry of Health, Center of Digital D.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academy of Opto-Electronics, No. 9, Deng Zhuang South Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100094, China.
authors.forename: Wenqi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology and National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, and Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Digital Dentistry of Ministry of Health, Center of Digital D.
authors.forename: Yuchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology and National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, and Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Digital Dentistry of Ministry of Health, Center of Digital D.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology and National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, and Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Digital Dentistry of Ministry of Health, Center of Digital D.
authors.forename: Peijun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lü
mesh_terms: D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003804:Dentin / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D007834:Lasers; D013499:Surface Properties