Laser-assisted debonding of ceramic veneers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Statement of problem The process of removing ceramic veneers is difficult, time consuming, and invasive. However, although lasers should provide a straightforward method for the debonding of ceramic veneers, a systematic review is lacking. Purpose The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy of the laser-assisted debonding of ceramic veneers. Material and methods A systematic search was conducted in Medline/PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Then, an analysis was performed using the meta-analysis approach to investigate the efficacy of the laser-assisted debonding of ceramic veneers. Quality assessment of the included articles was carried out using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. For the meta-analysis, the RevMan 5.4 software program was used to perform a random-effects model of standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals. Results A total of 1108 studies were identified, of which 627 studies were selected for title and abstract analysis. The qualitative analysis included 16 studies, of which 3 studies were used in the quantitative synthesis. In the meta-analysis, the shear bond strength of the laser groups was compared with that of the control group. A substantial level of heterogeneity was noted in the included studies (I2=67%, P<.001). Conclusions The findings suggest that erbium lasers have a significant immediate effect in decreasing the shear bond strength of ceramic veneers. Furthermore, with proper laser settings, veneers can be safely removed without damaging the underlying tooth structure.