Comparison between a short and a conventional blade periodontal curet: an in vitro study

This in vitro study was done to compare a short-blade, long-shank (test) curet designed for deeper pockets of incisors and a conventional Gracey 1/2 curet regarding (a) their ability to remove root surface material at different pocket depths, and (b) their effect on root surface roughness. 2 groups of 12 senior dental hygiene students used either the randomly assigned test or conventional curet for a defined period on maxillary and mandibular incisors in a cross-over experimental design. Extent of root debridement was determined by assessing the removal of black enamel paint on root surfaces within pockets using a computerized video routine and root surface roughness measured using a profilometer. When each surface of the root was analyzed separately at 2-mm increments, the test instrument exhibited superior material removal on all surfaces at the 4-6 mm CAL (p-values<0.001). However, the test curet caused a rougher surface than the conventional curet on all surfaces (p<0.001), with a mean difference of 0.27 microm. While it is assumed that the ability of the test instrument to debride the root surface of deeper pockets more thoroughly is clinically more important than the rougher root surfaces it produces, this can only be assessed by further studies in vivo.