An in vitro assessment of the dentine lost during instrumentation using the Periosonic system

This study investigated the ability of a new instrument designed for root debridement, the Periosonic, to remove dentine compared to a hand curette and an ultrasonic scaler. The Periosonic system is a modification of the Micro-Megax endodontic system and uses modified files to remove plaque, calculus and tooth substance. The Periosonic has 2 file types; the Periosonic 1 is a more aggressive file for the removal of gross supra- and subgingival deposits, while the Periosonic 2 is a thinner more flexible file used for the removal of subgingival deposits. 40 human dentine specimens were ground flat and baseline measurements were made using a surfometer. The specimens were divided into 4 experimental groups and each group was treated with a hand curette, ultrasonic scaler, Periosonic 1 or 2 using 12, 1-s strokes. The specimens were remeasured blind in the surfometer. The curette removed 23.6 microm of dentine, the ultrasonic 6.8 microm, the Periosonic 1 18.8 microm and the Periosonic 2 12.5 microm. A qualitative assessment of the samples following mechanical preparation was also made. In conclusion, the Periosonic instrument does not remove more tooth substance than a conventional curette and may be a useful addition for the debridement of root surfaces.