Laser in Oral Medicine - Recent Headways

The word LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulation Emission of Radiation. Since the introduction of laser in 1960, it has revolutionized the scientific world and has acquired a specialized place in almost all disciplines of medical science. In the field of dentistry, it is diversified in scope from diagnosis of simple carious lesion to the treatment of intricate lesions or malignancies. Oral Medicine is a speciality that deals with the diagnosis and non-surgical management of Oral and Maxillofacial disorders. Laser has an extensive range of application in Oral Medicine. Low Level Laser Therapy is a recent advancement in the field which is an important tool in therapeutics and operates in the visible and the infrared spectrum ranging from 600-900 nm wave length. The field of laser based photochemical reaction holds great promise for applications, particularly for targeting specific cells, pathogens and other molecules. A further area of future growth in the field of laser is expected to be a combination of diagnostic and therapeutic laser techniques.