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In our latest in vivo study in 2022, we explored a seemingly simple yet long-debated question in periodontology: how do hand instruments compare to ultrasonic scalers in producing root surface roughness?

🦷 Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we analyzed root surfaces after scaling and root planing on periodontally hopeless teeth. The results? A few surprises:

- Root roughness significantly varied between groups (P < 0.027).

- The SRP3 group (high-power ultrasonic) produced the smoothest surfaces, while SRP2 (moderate-power ultrasonic) showed the roughest.

- Interestingly, no significant differences were found between the control group and either the hand-instrument or high-power ultrasonic groups.

🤔 These findings raise an intriguing point: might higher ultrasonic power provide better outcomes in terms of micromorphology, contrary to some conventional expectations?

💬 I’d love to hear your thoughts. How do these observations align with your clinical experience or research findings? And should we re-evaluate our assumptions about “aggressiveness” and surface damage in ultrasonic instrumentation?

(The image is schematic and prepared by AI)

Available here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9871177/