The effect of root planing as compared to that of surgical treatment

This study was undertaken in order to evaluate the effect of root planing as compared to that of surgical periodontal treatment in patients with advanced periodontal disease. 17 patients with advanced periodontal disease participated in the study. After the initial examination, the teeth were scaled and the patients were given instruction in performing proper oral hygiene. The hygienic phase for the individual patient was continued until less than 20% of the tooth surfaces demonstrated plaque at 2 succeeding appointments. After re-assessment of the periodontal status, 1 side in both the maxilla and mandible was treated with modified Widman flap surgery. In 1 of the remaining quadrants, in the maxilla or mandible, reverse bevel flap surgery was used. Bone contouring was not performed in any of the surgical procedures. The last quadrant was subjected to meticulous root planing under local anesthesia. Subsequently, the patients were recalled every second week for professional tooth cleaning. The periodontal status of each patient was assessed 3 and 6 months following treatment. Root planing resulted in considerable reduction in pocket depth, although more shallow pockets were obtained following modified Widman flap and reverse bevel flap surgery. Clinical gain of attachment was obtained following all 3 modalities, but root planing resulted in slightly more gain of attachment than the 2 surgical procedures.