Laser regulation and safety in general dental practice

Laser devices, instruments and machines vary in their potential for light energy emission from low-powered hand-held or integrated devices, to high-powered units capable of cutting and ablating tissue and materials. The safe use of lasers in dentistry extends to all personnel who might be exposed, either deliberately or by accident, and demands of the lead clinician an approach to their use in order that risk of accidental exposure to laser light is minimised. The scope for regulations extends in similar ways to those imposed on the use of ionising radiation in the dental practice. Laser safety measures in the dental surgery are often drawn from the safe approach to the use of lasers in general and other specialties in medicine and surgery. This article serves to examine the risks involved in laser use in dentistry, the regulations governing safe use and the responsibilities of personnel involved in providing treatment to patients.