Abstract
Extracted human dental enamel coated with silver ammonium fluoride (Ag (NH3) 2F) was irradiated with pulsed CO2 laser. The implantation of F atoms into enamel was observed. The depth distribution of the laser-implanted F and Ag atoms and its laser energy density dependence were investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectromet ry and resonance nuclearreaction. The maximum depth of implanted F atoms was observed at the laser energy density of12 J/cm2 and was found to be about 0.8 μm. This value is about 2.5 times larger than the case of unirradiated enamel. On the other hand, the depth distribution of Ag atoms was not influenced by laser irradiation.
