Dentaltown January 2014 - (Page 94)

hygiene and prevention profile in oral health How Subgingival UP side DOWN Dental Hygiene Will Air Polishing Turn An interview with Dr. Thomas Flemmig, professor in the Department of Periodontics at the University of Washington. by Trisha E. O'Hehir, RDH, MS Air polishing was first introduced to the North American dental profession in the 1970s as an effective means of quickly and easily removing extrinsic stains and soft debris from tooth surfaces. Despite scientific evidence showing it to be an effective and efficient means of plaque and stain removal, being at least three times faster than rubber cup polishing, it hasn't been widely accepted. This is likely Fig. 1 due to the fact that dental hygiene programs don't routinely incorporate air polishing into the curriculum, preferring instead to focus on rubber cup polishing. Opposition often points to the mess of aerosolized sodium bicarbonate coating everything in the operatory, people included. Air polishing research has taken an interesting turn, focusing more recently on subgingival biofilm removal to control disease, rather than stain removal for aesthetic reasons. To do this, a new powder was needed that was significantly less abrasive than sodium bicarbonate yet effective for biofilm removal. Glycine powder is 80 percent less abrasive, safe on oral tissues and root surfaces, effective for biofilm removal, and comfortable for the patient. One of the leaders in this research endeavor is Dr. Thomas Flemmig, currently a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. His work focuses on the subgingival effects of glycine air polishing as well as the economic and clinical practice implications. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Flemmig on this subject. 94 JANUARY 2014 » dentaltown.com What peaked your interest in air polishing? Flemmig: Several years ago I read a research abstract about how air polishing with sodium bicarbonate reduced subgingival biofilms in periodontal pockets. At the time, conventional wisdom suggested that sodium bicarbonate was so abrasive that it caused root surface abrasion and traumatized gingival tissues. What we needed was a powder that was less abrasive than sodium bicarbonate and less harmful to the tissue yet still removed biofilm. With that as our goal, we looked into other powders, testing many types and finding glycine powder to be 80 percent less abrasive than sodium bicarbonate and safe for the gingival tissues. We tested the glycine powder in an air polishing unit with a standard, supragingival nozzle and found it effectively removed both supra and subgingival biofilm and was safe on root surfaces. With a standard air polishing nozzle the powder opened the sulcus to allow the glycine powder to access the subgingival area to remove subgingival biofilm (Fig. 1). How did you test the glycine powder clinically? Flemmig: In a series of clinical trials, we compared hand instrumentation for subgingival biofilm removal and air polishing with glycine powder. In the first two clinical trials we found a significantly greater reduction in viable counts of subgingival bacteria following glycine air polishing with a standard nozzle http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown January 2014

New Products
Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: “Go West, Young Man”
Professional Courtesy: A Treatment Plan for Your Practice
Continuing Education Update
Second Opinion: The Value of Patient Engagement and Cost Transparency
Big Case on the Go, Your Input Welcome!
Impress or Scan… What’s the General Consensus?
Corporate Profile: Centrix
The Wish List
Clutter vs. Sanity
Every Case is Unique
I’m So Tired of Her Attitude
Top 12 Best Practices for 2014
Ten Units in Five Hours with a Fast and Easy Milling Material
Seven SEO Strategies to Accelerate New Patient Acquisition
Dentaltown Research: Equipment
You Should Know: GoodMouth
Ad Index
In This Section: Polishing
Perio Reports
Profile in Oral Health: How Subgingival Air Polishing Will Turn Dental Hygiene Upside Down
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown January 2014