Objectives: The following in vitro study examined the sterility of the Odyssey 2.4G Diode Laser (Ivoclar Vivadent) fiber following laser fiber initiation. Methods: The laser fibers were contaminated with oral microorganisms by inserting them into standardized suspensions of bacteria in brain heart infusion broth to a depth just short of the fiber jacket. The test bacteria included Actinomyces viscosus ATCC 43146, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ATCC 43717 and 43718, Escherichia coli ATCC 4157, Prevotella intermedia ATCC 25611, Porphyromonas gingivalis SUNYAB A7A1-28, Streptococcus gordonii ATCC 10558, and Streptococcus oralis ATCC 35037). The fiber was removed from the bacterial suspension and then initiated according to the manufacturer's directions. The laser fiber was aseptically cleaved and the fiber segment was placed into 0.5 ml of sterile prereduced Ringer's solution. Following dispersion of the adherent bacteria by vortexing for one minute, aliquots were distributed onto enriched tryptic soy agar (ETSA), anaerobically incubated at 37^oC and examined for bacterial growth at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. To determine the distance from the tip at which any microbial cells might remain viable, experiments were conducted as above using S. gordonii ATCC 10558 except that the fibers were placed directly on the ETSA and incubated. Negative controls included culture of the initiated laser tip following immersion in sterile prereduced Ringer's solution. Positive controls included culture of the non-initiated laser tip following immersion in the S. gordonii culture. Results: There was no microbial growth evident on any of the test media inoculated with aliquots of Ringer's from any of the timepoints. There was no microbial growth evident on any of the test media inoculated with the laser fibers at any of the observed timepoints. Conclusions: There is no evidence of viable bacteria on the laser fiber following laser fiber initiation as directed by the manufacturer.

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