This is NOT a Laser Safety Officer (LSO) training course. This short on-line program is designed for the team members to understand that lasers are safe but there are some basic safety precautions that need to be followed by everyone in the immediate vicinity. This program provides a very cursory overview of laser physics, the different type of dental lasers, their roles, and laser safety. As the team members that are the first interact with patients it is important to have a basic understanding of lasers and their safe and effective use in the oral health environment. The information in this program is designed to assist the team members in having a better understanding of the role of lasers in oral health care and how to appropriately communicate their values to their patients.

The primary role of the program is to assist the dental facility’s LSO in educating their team members to have the knowledge needed to be safe when a laser program is implemented into everyday use. The facility’s LSO will expand on the material contained in the program with information specific to the Health Care Laser Systems being utilized, and the policies and procedures established for each location.

This is NOT a training course on the use of a Class3B or Class 4 laser. ANSI Standard Z136.3 and the ADA TR-133 state that users of Class 3B and Class 4 lasers must have a device-specific hands-on training course for the procedures they are performing. A practitioner that performs any clinical procedure utilizing a Health Care Laser System must have completed a device specific hands-on educational training program taught by a clinician that has the professional status to perform those procedures.

 A partial list of topics included in the program’s curriculum:

• The role and authority of the LSO
• Basic laser terminology, laser physics and related tissue and material interactions
• Types of lasers used in oral health care
• Overview of types of clinical applications
• Understanding the Laser Controlled Area (LCA) and the Warning Signs
• How to identify the appropriate Laser Protective Eyewear (LPE)
   

After completing this program the attendees should be able to:

• Understand the basic laser safety precautions that need to be followed
• Identify a Laser Controlled Area (LCA)
• Understand the need for and identify the appropriate Laser Protective Eyewear (LPE)
• Communicate on a basic level the value and precautions of laser oral healthcare procedures