The tensile strength of laser welding of an incision in the keratinized oral mucosa of rabbits in vivo

Introduction: In this study, coagulation of the blood at the wound side is evoked using a 980-nm-wavelength diode laser. The laser is used to approximate incision wound edges to be compared with the healing of the sutured incision. Quality of healing is accessed by the Clinical observations, histological slides, and tensile strength measurement.

Material and methods: The study is conducted on 24 albino rabbits; an intraoral incision in the hard palate is done on both sides, right and left,
for each rabbit. One side serves as a control group where the incision is sutured, while the other side’s incision is welded by a 980-nm-wavelength
laser. The laser is operated in continuous wave mode (CW) 20 W/cm2 power density for 27s exposure time.

Results: Clinically, some loss of tissue details (smooth feature) are observed on the welded side in comparison with the conventionally treated
side. Histopathologically, healing of the epithelial layer was perfect, while the submucosal layer showed loss of angiogenesis and loose connective
tissue replacing the normal structure. The tensile strength measurement shows comparable results for the welded incision and the sutured
incision; moreover, the immediate and first-day tensile strength of the welded incision shows superior results to the sutured incision. Recommendation:
Further studies are needed to monitor histologically the healing after laser welding and measure the development in the tensile strength
to assess the validity of the 980-nm-wavelength laser beam as a tool in tissue welding.

Conclusion: Laser beam with nine hundred eighty-nanometer-wavelength is a suitable tool for welding incisions in the oral cavity at areas subjected
to stress, such as a socket after tooth extraction.

Author(s): Balsam M Mirdan,  Suzan Naji

Abstract | Full-Text | PDF

Share This Article