DOI: 10.36347/sjds.2018.v05i03.005

Pages: 139-142

Periodontitis requires thorough removal of the bacterial biofilm during the initial therapy and maintenance phase. However, debridement using hand instruments or oscillating scalers is both technically demanding and time consuming, and may lead to severe root damage over time. Air polishing has emerged as one of the safe and effective in the removal of subgingival oral biofilm in moderate to deep periodontal pockets without compromising the host’s tissues as well as implants. It works on the principle of propulsion of abrasive particles through a mixture of compressed air and water through a handpiece nozzle. Initially air polishing was used for tooth surface polishing and supragingival biofilm removal, recently with the development in air abrasive powders it is widely used in subgingival surfaces. The focus of this review article is to compare the efficacy of air polishing over traditional methods during maintenance phase.