Dental laser manufacturer Biolase Inc. has received a US patent for a noncontact handpiece that cuts both hard and soft tissue using the company’s line of WaterLase all-tissue lasers. Patent No. 8,403,922, titled "Non-Contact Handpiece for Laser Tissue Cutting," expands the company’s all-tissue laser dentistry intellectual property. It currently has 182 issued and 162 pending US and international patents. The noncontact handpiece is user-replaceable with multiple configurations of focal spot size and operational distances, said Chairman and CEO Federico Pignatelli. This should “contribute to safeguarding patients from the risks of cross contamination and move dental practices closer to providing truly safe and infection-free oral health care,” he said. “The optical components in our patented contra-angle, noncontact handpiece are designed to provide a high-density, uniform laser beam at a specific distance from the target tissue, which results in the fastest possible cutting of both hard and soft tissue while eliminating undesirable back reflections that can reduce effectiveness,” said Chief Technology Officer Dmitri Boutoussov. Biolase also announced this week that it has entered into a royalty agreement with laser manufacturer Lambda SpA of Brendola, Italy, which has resulted in a payment from Lambda for past royalties. Royalty rates for future sales were also established. The royalties from Lambda relate to Biolase’s Er:YAG (erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) lasers but do not include the company’s WaterLase technology or its delivery systems, including proprietary handpieces and consumables. The company also has royalty agreements related to the sale of Er:YAG lasers manufactured by Fotona d.d., which are sold in the US by Technology4Medicine LLC and Hoya Photonics Inc., which sold its dental business to Photonic Service Group in June 2012. For more information, visit: www.biolase.com