Polishing the surface. A comparison of rubber cup polishing and airpolishing

This study was designed to compare the clinical effectiveness of rubber cup polishing and airpolishing. Polishing time was controlled to approximate the time spent on plaque and stain removal in clinical dental hygiene practice. Effectiveness of polishing techniques was evaluated using indices to measure plaque, stain, and gingival trauma prior to and after the polishing treatment. Thirty adult subjects, with comparable numbers of teeth contralaterally, exhibiting observable plaque and stain, participated in the study. Patients with contra-indications for either polishing technique were excluded from the sample. Data were collected using a randomized split mouth design; one side of a subject's mouth was polished with a rubber cup and flour of pumice and the other side was polished with the Prophy-Jet airpolishing device. The time employed for both treatments was held constant at five minutes for each technique. Plaque, stain, and gingival trauma measurements were assessed prior to and following both polishing treatments. Analysis of variance was utilized to compute the data. Results indicate that, when comparing the effectiveness of polishing treatments, there is no statistically significant difference in plaque removal, stain removal, or gingival trauma within the established time interval. The authors conclude that other factors, in addition to effectiveness and time efficiency, should be considered when selecting rubbercup polishing with flour of pumice or an airpolishing device.