High-Speed Laser Drilling for Dental Implantation: Ablation Process and Applicator Technology

Abstract Conventional mechanical drilling for implant placement is limited to specific geometry and orientation, resulting in incorrect positioning and inadequate anchoring in thin or porous bone. This study presents the development of a laser-based ablation process and an applicator technology for precise and fast laser drilling in the oral cavity. For the process development, a CO2 laser with a wavelength of 10.6 μm was used. Pulse durations between 10 μs and 400 μs were investigated for fast laser drilling with low thermal impact. For efficient ablation and cooling of the bone tissue, we applied a fine water spray. The laser applicator is designed with an integrated scanning module, focusing optics and a compact water spray system with three spray nozzles in the applicator tip. The geometry of the cavities was analyzed using digital microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, allowing to measure the ablated volume and depth as well as investigating the bone microstructure. This study demonstrates a laser ablation process capable to generate cavities with an ablation rate of 1.75mm3/s which is about 80% higher than previously reported. At this ablation rate the melted zones were smaller than 30 μm. This paper demonstrates a concept for a dental laser drilling system with a fast ablation process and a highlyintegrated applicator for treatment in the oral cavity.