This lecture will examine whether there is now sufficient evidence to move from traditional approaches to use lasers to augment or replace traditional instrumentation in periodontology. It will provide a basis for understanding the current technology and its benefits for practitioners and patients.

The first part of the lecture will examine the performance of laser-based methods for detecting sub-gingival deposits, versus periodontal probes and non-laser optical methods. The second part will examine the disinfecting actions of lasers in periodontal pockets and their accompanying bio-stimulatory effects. The third part of the lecture will summarise the clinical evidence supporting erbium lasers as a replacement for conventional hand or ultrasonic instruments for sub-gingival periodontal debridement of teeth and dental implants.

Biography

Professor Laurence Walsh holds a personal chair in dental science and has been the head of the University of Queensland School of Dentistry since 2004. Laurence maintains a part-time specialist private practice in special needs dentistry in Brisbane. He has been involved in research and clinical training in the use of lasers in dentistry for over 20 years, and has lectured and published extensively on this topic at an international level.