Comparative Analysis of Sharpening Devices on Periodontal Hand Instruments and their Impact on Root Surface Roughness: An In Vitro study

Abstract

The role of bacterial plaque and its role as the primary etiology for periodontal disease is well established. The treatment of periodontitis and maintenance of periodontal health is dependent on the elimination of plaque, and calculus, and establishing a stringent dental hygiene maintenance program. The non-surgical treatment of periodontitis relies heavily on scaling and root planning (SRP) therapy to remove subgingival deposits and toxins to allow for the reattachment of periodontal and gingival fibers.

A multitude of sharpening devices are available for maintaining periodontal hand instrument sharpness. However, the impact of these devices on the cutting-edge morphology of periodontal curettes, and subsequently on root surface roughness remains unclear. . Using sharp periodontal hand curettes and scalers is pivotal in the thoroughness of calculus removal, root planing, and achieving a smooth root surface.

This study aims to investigate the effects of sharpening cards, sharpening stones of varying grits, and the Sidekick® on the lateral edge of an unused factory sharpened Gracey 11/12 curette and to evaluate the influence of these sharpened curettes on root surface roughness post-SRP.

The results show that there was a statistically significant difference between the roughness of the medium, fine, and extra-fine cards and between the method of sharpening (horizontal vs vertical) using a stationary-instrument-moving-stone technique. However, no statistically significant difference was observed in the roughness of curette edges sharpened by cards and stones of varying grit sizes, nor in the root surfaces root-planed by these sharpened curettes. This suggests that irrespective of the card or stone utilized for sharpening, the resulting edge of the curette yields relatively similar smooth surfaces. Further studies will need to be conducted to verify this finding.