Er:YAG Laser Ablation of Bone in Experimental Diabetics

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to compare bone healing in experimental diabetics after ostectomies obtained by Er:YAG laser and bur drilling. Study Design/Material and Methods: Twenty-eight Wistar rats weighing 250–300 g were used for this study. Diabetes was chemically induced with streptozotocin administered as a single intraperitoneal injection. Fourteen nondiabetic (normal) and 14 diabetic rats were included in the analysis. Left femur distal epiphysis of nondiabetic and diabetic rats was perforated with a surgical bone drill. Another defect with similar dimensions was created by an Er:YAG laser on the left femur of diabetic rats. An Er:YAG laser of 2940-nm wavelength with an energy density of 1.5 W was used. The rats were assigned to three experimental groups: normal bur group (control), diabetic bur group, and diabetic Er:YAG group. The rats were killed at 10 and 20 days to compare the bone healing of each group. Results: At 10 days of healing, the sum of histologic scores was higher in the normal bur group than in the diabetic bur and diabetic Er:YAG groups. In the present study, union, spongiosa, and bone marrow were evaluated, respectively, and there were no significant differences among the groups regarding the union and bone marrow ( p  > 0.05). Spongiosa bone formation was higher in the normal bur group than in the diabetic bur and diabetic Er:YAG groups ( p  = 0.011). There were no significant differences among the groups as to union, spongiosa, bone marrow, and sum of histologic scores ( p  > 0.05) at 20 days of healing. Conclusions: Histologically, no difference was found between the Er:YAG and bur cavities in diabetic rats regarding bone healing. With these histological and experimental results, we believe that the 2940-nm Er:YAG laser (1.5 W) can be used confidently in the ablation of bones in diabetic cases.