INSTRUMENTATION OF FURCATION WITH MODIFIED SONIC SCALER INSERTS - A STUDY ON MANNEQUINS (II)

We developed a sonic scaler tip with an ellipsoid diamond-coated bud a nd contra-angulated shafts to overcome problems resulting from furcati on anatomy. In this study, extracted molars were instrumented in a dum my model without any replicated soft tissues using 3 different instrum entation methods (i) curettes, (ii) diamond-coated sonic scaler tips w ith normal handle and (iii) diamond-coated sonic scaler tips in 2 hand les with varying power levels. 15 extracted upper and lower molars wer e instrumented using each of the 3 instrumentation types. Following de bridement, loss of substance and % of furcation area instrumented were assessed. In both upper and lower molars, significantly more surface area was instrumented in one instrumentation run with diamond-coated t ips than with curettes. Substance loss was greater with diamond-coated tips than with hand instruments. In conclusion, an effective debridem ent of the furcation roof seems only possible with odontoplasty. Clini cal evaluation of this approach to root debridement is needed.