Piezolelectric surgery in dentistry: a review

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• A notable increase in research on piezoelectric bone surgery has occurred over the past decade.
• Dental procedures traditionally employ manual or rotating instruments for bone manipulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and compare piezoelectric devices with traditional techniques in dentistry.
• To analyze clinical and histological advantages and disadvantages of piezoelectric surgery.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was conducted using MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases.
• Thirty-seven dental publications meeting specific inclusion criteria were selected for analysis.
• Comparison focused on clinical outcomes (e.g., trauma, invasiveness, precision) and histological aspects (bone healing, morbidity).

Main Results:

• Clinically, piezoelectric devices demonstrated reduced surgical trauma, enhanced precision, mini-invasiveness, and faster learning curves.
• Histological evaluation indicated less bone loss and improved bone healing quality with piezoelectric instruments, reducing postsurgical morbidity.
• Procedures like maxillary sinus lifts and alveolar ridge expansions were simplified, showing greater predictability.

Conclusions:

• Piezoelectric bone surgery appears to offer significant clinical and histological benefits over traditional methods in various dental applications.
• Despite advantages, some studies report no substantial long-term outcome differences and highlight potential increases in operative time.
• Further research may be needed to fully elucidate long-term efficacy and optimize piezoelectric device integration into routine dental practice.