Purpose: To describe the current findings regarding the use of lasers to enhance the bonding properties of zirconia and to enable its debonding.
Materials and methods: The PudMed database was searched for literature up to July 2021. The keywords used for zirconia surface treatment were: laser irradiation; zirconia; and bond strength. For ceramic laser debonding, the keywords were: laser irradiation; ceramic; and debonding.
Results: A total of 36 studies were included for zirconia surface treatment, and 12 for ceramic laser debonding. Nd:YAG, CO2, Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, and ultrashort lasers were used for surface treatment, whereas only Er:YAG and Er,Cr:YSGG lasers were applied to debond zirconia structures.
Conclusion: The use of laser irradiation to improve the bonding properties of zirconia depends on the type of laser and the parameters used. Among the laser types included in this review, ultrashort lasers have shown the most promising results; however, more studies are needed to prove their superiority over the other lasers for enhancing zirconia bond strength. In terms of debonding, irradiation with different lasers was effective regardless of the ceramic type; however, well-established protocols (ie, laser irradiation time and motion, laser settings) are still needed for different thicknesses and material ceramic types.