Introduction: In the field of pediatric dentistry the use of Er,Cr:YSGG laser in cavity preparation in deciduous molars has many advantages as fast procedures and patient comfort. The purpose of the present study is to compare between the effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser and conventional conditioning on the microleakage in cavity class V restored by glass ionomer (GI) and resin modified glass ionomer (RMGI) in deciduous molars.
Materials and methods: A standard class V cavity were prepared at the buccal or lingual surface of forty-eight freshly extracted caries-free human deciduous molars which were divided into 2 groups according to the mode of conditioning: group 1: by using Er,Cr:YSGG laser; group 2: by using conventional conditioning. The samples were subjected to thermocycling and dying step.
Results: No statistically significant difference between median microleakage scores of the two conditioning methods with RMGI or GI, while RMGI showed statistically significantly lower median microleakage scores than GI.
Conclusion: Er,Cr:YSGG laser have adverse effect on the microleakge of cavities restored by RMGI and GI. RMGI showed statistically significantly lower median microleakage scores than GI. Application of the Er:YAG laser, beneath the RMGIs and GI may be an alternative to acid etching