Biomaterial Database

Laser safety in dentistry. 2008

Caroline Sweeney

Academy of Laser Dentistry, Dental Auxiliary School, Santa Rosa Junior College, California, USA.

Although many regulations and standards relating to laser safety are in effect, there continue to be an average of 35 laser injuries per year. Laser safety professionals believe that this number under-represents the actual number of injuries and that many more accidents per year occur that are not documented with federal agencies. A review of these accidents has determined that failing to wear available eye protection is one of the most frequent contributing factors to laser injuries. As the purchase and use of lasers in dentistry continues to grow, so must concern for laser safety. This article provides basic information to advance the safe use of lasers in dentistry and to help establish laser safety protocols for the dental office.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007834	Lasers	An optical source that emits photons in a coherent beam. Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER) is brought about using devices that transform light of varying frequencies into a single intense, nearly nondivergent beam of monochromatic radiation. Lasers operate in the infrared, visible, ultraviolet, or X-ray regions of the spectrum.	Masers,Continuous Wave Lasers,Pulsed Lasers,Q-Switched Lasers,Continuous Wave Laser,Laser,Laser, Continuous Wave,Laser, Pulsed,Laser, Q-Switched,Lasers, Continuous Wave,Lasers, Pulsed,Lasers, Q-Switched,Maser,Pulsed Laser,Q Switched Lasers,Q-Switched Laser
D009626	Terminology as Topic	Works about the terms, expressions, designations, or symbols used in a particular science, discipline, or specialized subject area.	Etymology,Nomenclature as Topic,Etymologies
D002056	Burns	Injuries to tissues caused by contact with heat, steam, chemicals (BURNS, CHEMICAL), electricity (BURNS, ELECTRIC), or the like.	Burn
D003729	Dental Care	The total of dental diagnostic, preventive, and restorative services provided to meet the needs of a patient (from Illustrated Dictionary of Dentistry, 1982).	Care, Dental
D004867	Equipment Design	Methods and patterns of fabricating machines and related hardware.	Design, Equipment,Device Design,Medical Device Design,Design, Medical Device,Designs, Medical Device,Device Design, Medical,Device Designs, Medical,Medical Device Designs,Design, Device,Designs, Device,Designs, Equipment,Device Designs,Equipment Designs
D004869	Equipment Safety	Freedom of equipment from actual or potential hazards.	Device Safety,Hazards, Equipment,Medical Device Safety,Safety, Equipment,Device Safety, Medical,Safety, Medical Device,Equipment Hazard,Equipment Hazards,Hazard, Equipment,Safety, Device
D005126	Eye Burns	Injury to any part of the eye by extreme heat, chemical agents, or ultraviolet radiation.	Burn, Eye,Burns, Eye,Eye Burn
D005131	Eye Injuries	Damage or trauma inflicted to the eye by external means. The concept includes both surface injuries and intraocular injuries.	Injuries, Eye,Eye Injury,Injury, Eye
D005135	Eye Protective Devices	Personal devices for protection of the eyes from impact, flying objects, glare, liquids, or injurious radiation.	Goggles,Safety Glasses,Safety Lenses,Sun Glasses, Nonprescription,Device, Eye Protective,Devices, Eye Protective,Eye Protective Device,Glasses, Nonprescription Sun,Glasses, Safety,Lenses, Safety,Nonprescription Sun Glasses,Protective Device, Eye,Protective Devices, Eye
D005390	Fires	Combustion or burning in which substances combine chemically with oxygen typically giving out bright light, heat, and smoke.	Fire

Related Publications

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[Lasers in dentistry. 9. Safety in laser use].

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[Laser therapy in dentistry].

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[Laser in contemporary dentistry].

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