Clinical efficacy of Er:YAG laser application in pulpotomy of primary molars: a 2-year follow-up study

The present study aimed to analyze the clinical effects of Er:YAG laser applied in pulpotomy of children's asymptomatic deep caries-affected primary molars. Included primary molar teeth from children (aged 3 similar to 6 years) were randomly assigned to "Er:YAG laser" and "conventional" groups, and pulpotomies were performed under general anesthesia using the respective approaches. The treatment time and clinical efficacy were evaluated. The study sample included 100 primary molar teeth of 40 children with an average age of 4.60 +/- 1.02 years. The pulpotomy time in the Er:YAG laser group was significantly longer than that in the conventional group (p < 0.0001) but the hemostasis time and the total treatment time were significantly shorter (p < 0.0001, p = 0.029). In terms of clinical efficacy, up to 6 months after treatment, the success rate in the Er:YAG laser group was non-significantly but slightly higher than that in the conventional group (100% versus 98%, p = 0.436). With longer observation time, the success rate of both groups declined, with the conventional group showing a more rapid decline. After 24 months, the success rate in the Er:YAG laser group remained non-significantly higher than that in the conventional group (89.58% versus 82.98%, p = 0.386). Overall, Er:YAG laser significantly reduced the treatment time for pulpotomy in primary teeth and tended to produce higher clinical efficacy over time and thus can be a valuable tool in clinical pediatric dentistry practice.