Copyright © 2015 Mutaz B. Habal, MD. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Clinical Application of Diode Laser (980 nm) in Maxillofacial Surgical Procedures Tahrir N. Aldelaimi, BDS, MSc  and Afrah A. Khalil, BDS, MSc y Abstract: For many procedures, lasers are now becoming the treatment of choice by both clinicians and patients, and in some cases, the standard of care. This clinical study was carried out at Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Ramadi Teaching Hospital, Rashid Private Hospital and Razi Private Hospital, Anbar Health Directorate, Anbar Province, Iraq. A total of 32 patients including 22 (70%) male and 10 (30%) female with age range from 5 months to 34 years old. Chirolas 20W diode laser emitting at 980 nm was used. Our preliminary clinical findings include suffi- cient hemostasis, coagulation properties, precise incision margin, lack of swelling, bleeding, pain, scar tissue formation and overall satisfaction were observed in the clinical application. The clinical application of the diode (980 nm) laser in maxillofacial surgery proved to be of beneficial effect for daily practice and considered practical, effective, easy to used, offers a safe, acceptable, and impressive alternative for conventional surgical techniques. Key Words: Diode laser, facial lesions, laser surgery, maxillofacial surgery, surgical procedure (J Craniofac Surg 2015;26: 1220–1223) S ince the first report on laser radiation by Maiman (1960), many potential fields for its application have been investigated. 1,2 Among these, medical laser surgery certainly belongs to the most significant advances. Various kinds of lasers have already become irreplaceable tools of modern medicine. Although clinical appli- cations were first limited to ophthalmology and dentistry, the other fields of medical laser treatment have meanwhile considerably widened. Soon after laser invention was demonstrated, researchers began to examine Maiman’s vision of the laser as a useful instru- ment for medicine. Their efforts laid the foundation for the present clinical use of lasers in medicine. 3–5 The specialty of maxillofacial surgery has benefited from the use of lasers, which are quickly becoming the standard of care for many surgical procedures, given the advantages of improved precision, visualization, and reduced discomfort. 1,3 Lasers are versatile and valuable devices in various disciplines of dentistry—prosthetics, periodontics, pedodontics, endodontics, implantology, cosmetic and operative dentistry, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. 3,6,7 Lasers are becoming more commonplace and even routine, either as adjunctive treatment methodologies or as stand-alone additions to the dental armamen- tarium. The growing number of dental laser practitioners, propelled by the increasing body of evidence concerning the safe, effective, and appropriate use of lasers in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery, will continue to advance the application of Einstein’s ‘‘splendid light’’ in their operations, to the benefit of patient and practitioner alike. For many procedures, lasers are now becoming the treatment of choice by both clinicians and patients, and in some cases, the standard of care. Despite the common way of stimulated emission, that characterizes all laser emission, semiconductor lasers are different from other types of lasers in both operating performance and pumping mechanism. Diode lasers emit light in the range of near-infrared region to the visible red region. The main advantages of semiconductor laser are its compactness, simplicity, and effi- ciency. They require very little auxiliary equipment and can be readily linked to optical fibers that enable the diode laser to be used for medical purposes. 8 The aims of this study is to apply and assess the clinical usefulness of diode laser 980 nm in the treatment of different maxillofacial conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS This clinical study was carried out at the Department of Maxillo- facial Surgery, Ramadi Teaching Hospital, Rashid Private Hospital, and Razi Private Hospital, Anbar Health Directorate, Anbar, Iraq, on a total of 32 patients including 22 (70%) male patients and 10 (30%) female patients with age range from 5 months to 34 years. The details of the laser surgical procedures were explained verbally to the patients and their parents, and each patient (and/or parent) was given a written instruction and questionnaire sheet. All of the patients (and/or parent) signed an informed consent agreement for using laser in surgery. All of the patients were evaluated by clinical examinations, documented by digital photos, and asked to fill the questionnaire sheet upon follow-up visit, and all of the patients were prepared for laser surgery and viral screen (hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus) was requested. The Chirolas 20W, 980 nm diode laser, A.R.C. laser system, is classified as a class IV laser product that is hazardous to the eye from the direct beam and diffuses reflections. Therefore, eye and skin must be protected from exposure to direct or scattered radiation. All of the personnel participating in the surgery wore protective safety eyeglasses and masks. In addition, placing reflec- tive materials such as glass, metals with uneven surface, polished plastic, and volatile materials have been avoided in the way of laser beam. The same surgical technique was used for all of the patients, who were operated on under sedative analgesia using injectable midazolam (5 mg/mL) intravenously in a dose of 0.03–0.1 mg/kg; the dose and dose range depend on individual patient response. Topical anesthesia (Xylocaine Spray 10%) was sprayed over and around the operation site frequently. After surgery, all of the patients From the  Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, Anbar University; and y Dental Health Department, Anbar Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Ramadi City, Anbar Province, Iraq. Received April 21, 2014. Accepted for publication November 16, 2014. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Tahrir N. Aldelaimi, BDS, MSc, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, Anbar University, Ramadi City, Anbar, Iraq; E-mail: tahrir_aldelaimi@yahoo.com The authors report no conflicts of interest. Copyright # 2015 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD ISSN: 1049-2275 DOI: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000001727 ORIGINAL ARTICLE 1220 The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery  Volume 26, Number 4, June 2015