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Er,Cr: YSGG laser is a rising treatment option for dentine hypersensitivity ( DH). However, there is no data available concerning the scanning electron microscope ( SEM) evaluation of the clinical application of Er,Cr: YSGG laser in the treatment of DH. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the desensitising and tubule occlusion effects of Er,Cr: YSGG laser with different power settings. Twenty patients (60 teeth) participated in this study. For each patient, teeth were randomised to 3 groups. In groups 1 and 2, patients were treated with Er,Cr: YSGG laser at 0·25 and 0·5 W, respectively. In control group, same laser was applied without laser emission. DH was assessed for all groups with a visual analogue scale ( VAS). When compared with the baseline data and control group, in both active treatment groups laser irradiation provided a desensitising effect immediately after treatment ( P < 0·001). In group 2, VAS scores were significantly lower than group 1. The tubule diameters in the both laser groups were significantly smaller than the control group ( P < 0·01). When group 1 compared with group 2, group 2 showed significantly smaller tubule diameters ( P < 0·001). Both 0·25 and 0·5 W laser irradiation were effective for the treatment of DH; however, 0·5 W laser irradiation showed best results for the decrease in VAS scores. The SEM findings of the reduction in number/patency of dentine tubules seem to be related to the clinical findings, which were associated with improvement in treatment efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]