Healing of calvarial wounds created by Er:YAG laser irradiation in comparison with conventional mechanical and femtosecond laser ablation in presence or absence of BMPs

The Er:YAG laser and the USPL are the most promising when considering the previous study results and their physical characteristics. This investigation compared the healing of various laser ablation units versus conventional mechanical cutting to explore the future applications for bone surgery and the effects when combined with rhBMP-7. A full-thickness circular defect was created on the parietal bones of mice for all the groups. Hard tissue healing was assessed using a microcomputerized tomography. Wound closure analyses suggested that the femtosecond laser created wounds displayed slightly healing delay in closure over the healing period when compared to mechanical instrumentation. The Er:YAG laser showed a healing rate similar to that of the mechanically ablated groups. In summary, femtosecond and Er:YAG lasers are two modalities suitable for bone ablation comparable to mechanical instrumentation.