article · Lasers in Medical Science
This research assesses the use of visible femtosecond laser light to kill vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis V583, a resilient bacterium commonly present in infected root canals. The study tested the effects of different wavelengths and energy densities on bacterial viability and growth rates without adding external photosensitisers. The most successful outcomes occurred at wavelengths of 430 nm and 435 nm using an energy density of 1000 J/cm2, which produced an approximate 2-log reduction, equating to over 98 percent bacterial inhibition. At 445 nm, increasing the light dose progressively slowed growth and reduced colony counts up to a threshold of 1250 J/cm2. Raising the energy density further to 2000 J/cm2 diminished effectiveness because of photobleaching, demonstrating that precise calibration of laser settings is essential for successful light-based disinfection.
Enterococcus faecalis is notoriously difficult to eradicate from infected root canals, and antibiotic-resistant strains complicate dental treatment. Developing non-chemical approaches that kill persistent bacteria using tuned visible light provides an alternative disinfection method. Identifying exact wavelengths and doses ensures treatments are potent enough to clear infections without triggering counterproductive effects like photobleaching.
This research could inform the development of specialised dental disinfection devices for endodontic procedures, potentially benefiting dental practitioners and medical device manufacturers. Because the findings are based on laboratory-scale bacterial cultures exploring fundamental light parameters, the approach represents early-stage research that requires further preclinical validation before real-world clinical application.
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Enterococcus faecalis is among the most resistant bacteria found in infected root canals. The demand for cutting-edge disinfection methods has rekindled research on photoinactivation with visible light. This study investigated the bactericidal activity of femtosecond laser irradiation against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis V583 (VRE). The effect of parameters such as wavelength and energy density on the viability and growth kinetics of VRE was studied to design an optimized laser-based antimicrobial photoinactivation approach without any prior addition of exogenous photosensitizers. The most effective wavelengths were 430 nm and 435 nm at a fluence of 1000 J/cm<sup>2</sup>, causing a nearly 2-log reduction (98.6% and 98.3% inhibition, respectively) in viable bacterial counts. The colony-forming units and growth rate of the laser-treated cultures were progressively decreased as energy density or light dose increased at 445 nm but reached a limit at 1250 J/cm<sup>2</sup>. At a higher fluence of 2000 J/cm<sup>2</sup>, the efficacy was reduced due to a photobleaching phenomenon. Our results highlight the importance of optimizing laser exposure parameters, such as wavelength and fluence, in bacterial photoinactivation experiments. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report an optimized wavelength for the inactivation of VRE using visible femtosecond laser light.
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DOI: 10.1007/s10103-024-04080-5
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