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Radiosurgery allows precise tissue cutting with simultaneous haemostasis, providing a clearer surgical field. Variation in waveform, power settings and handpiece tip shape allow for a wide variety of clinical applications, making it one of the most versatile pieces of surgical equipment in the dentist's arsenal. However, it is one of the most underused, and probably misunderstood, areas of surgery in dentistry. This may be due to conflicting literature concerning healing, overshadowing of the value of the technique by interest in dental lasers, misuse of terminology and a general lack of knowledge regarding the science underpinning its action.
CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article aims to outline the mode of action, adjustable parameters and considerations for the safe use of radiosurgery alongside clinical examples of its applications.
Article
Despite improvements and advances in radiosurgery equipment over the years, the use of this surgical technique has remained relatively static in the dental community.1 Some reasons suggested for this have included the rise of the laser in dentistry, which has overlapping uses, but higher initial costs, along with historically conflicting literature over post-operative wound healing following radiosurgery.2 However, later research has demonstrated that concerns regarding adverse healing results were unwarranted when radiosurgery was used appropriately (Figure 1a, b).3,4
The authors of this article also feel that confusion with terminology, and a general lack of understanding of the mode of action, are other potential factors contributing to the reluctance to use radiosurgery. Limited knowledge of the scientific theory behind radiosurgery is common, and is not limited to dentists, with surgeons of all disciplines also admitting a lack of understanding of this technology despite its widespread use in operating theatres.5 This is not aided by the misuse of terminology, with diathermy, electrocautery, electrosurgery and radiosurgery being used synonymously, despite their having distinct modes of action, clinical properties and applications.
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