Instrumentation Effectiveness of Modified, Area-Specific Hand Scalers during Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy in Teeth Presenting with Moderate to Advanced Periodontitis

Abstract

AIMS: The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to assess the effectiveness of modified, area-specific curets in the removal of subgingival calculus in periodontal pockets greater than 4mm when compared to standard, area-specific curets or ultrasonic scalers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 12 periodontally involved teeth treatment planned for extractions were scaled and root planed for 15 minutes using one of three instrument types chosen at random. The tooth was then extracted as treatment planned; the teeth were rinsed with water, stained with methylene blue solution, and rinsed again with water and transported to the laboratory for analysis. A stereomicroscope was used at 10x magnification to photograph proximal surfaces of the subject tooth for evaluation and measurement of residual calculus. The data collected was analyzed using one-way ANOVA tests using SPSS software. RESULTS: A total of 42 tooth surfaces were assessed for this study. When evaluating the effectiveness of each instrument group the data indicated no significant difference between the instrument groups and the amount of residual subgingival calculus remaining (p=.07). CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences were indicated between instrument groups; however, future studies warrant and encourage a larger sample size.