A review of the use of the neodymium YAG laser in oral and maxillofacial surgery

A review of the use of neodymium:YAG laser in oral and maxillofacial surgery is presented. The Nd:YAG laser wavelength exhibits minimal tissue absorption and maximal penetration by comparison, with the CO2 laser's maximal absorption and minimal penetration. These properties allow a variety of uses in maxillofacial surgery particularly coagulation of angiomatous lesions, haemostasis in bleeding diatheses, arthroscopic surgery of the temporomandibular joint, combination with CO2 wavelength for resections in vascular tissues (e.g. hemiglossectomy) and palliation of advanced neoplasms. Promising developments include CO2:Nd:YAG combination lasers, KTP:Nd:YAG apparatus and the introduction of diode technology.