Postsurgical bone loss following root planing by ultrasonic and hard instruments

Area of Science:

• Periodontal Surgery
• Veterinary Dentistry

Background:

• Ultrasonic scalers are utilized for root planing in periodontal surgery.
• Evidence supporting their use in surgical procedures requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonic scalers versus hand curettes for root planing in periodontal surgical procedures.
• To determine if ultrasonic scaler use impacts alveolar bone levels post-surgery.

Main Methods:

• A controlled study was conducted on nine adult cats involving surgical elevation of mucoperiosteal flaps on canine teeth.
• Root planing was performed using either an ultrasonic scaler or hand curettes on contralateral teeth.
• Alveolar bone loss was quantified by measuring the distance from a standardized enamel notch to the alveolar crest before and after a three-month healing period.

Main Results:

• All surgical sites experienced some degree of alveolar bone loss.
• No statistically significant difference was observed in the amount of alveolar bone loss between teeth treated with ultrasonic scalers and those treated with hand curettes.

Conclusions:

• The ultrasonic scaler is a viable tool for root planing in periodontal surgery.
• Its use does not result in significantly greater alveolar bone loss compared to traditional hand curettes.