Ca(OH)2 is a strong alkali, whose pH is not changed when adding weak acids or alkalis in aqueous suspensions. Under the conditions of this study, mixing Ca(OH)2 powder with the test irrigating solutions did not provide an increased antimicrobial effect compared to a conventional Ca(OH)2/saline medication.

It can be concluded that this method can reveal very precisely small quantities of substance lost and, in combination with SEM analysis and microroughness measurements, be of considerable value in evaluating the aggressiveness and efficacy of periodontal instruments.

The existing literature is inconsistent regarding whether there is any additional effect of povidone-iodine (PVP-iodine) as an adjunctive to scaling and root planing, and, if there is an effect, what its size is. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the additional effect of PVP-iodine as an adjunct to scaling and root planing compared with water, saline or no rinse in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Material and methods: An electronic literature search of the databases PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Library, and a handsearch, were performed (up to November 2008). Two reviewers independently identified and selected screened abstracts for possible inclusion, and assessed randomized, controlled clinical trials comparing the additional benefit of PVP-iodine with water, saline rinsing or no rinsing in the nonsurgical periodontal therapy of patients with chronic periodontitis. A fixed-effects meta-analysis was conducted in the absence of statistically significant heterogeneity. Results: A small, but statistically significant additional beneficial effect of the adjunctive use of PVP-iodine with enhanced probing pocket depth reductions of 0.28 mm (95% confidence interval: 0.08 to 0.48, p = 0.007) was found. There was no significant heterogeneity between studies (I(2) = 0%). However, most of the studies included in the meta-analysis were of low quality, and the treatment modalities showed various differences such as the use of PVP-iodine at different concentrations and application modalities. Nevertheless, single-rooted teeth, in particular, showed an additional benefit after scaling and root planing with PVP-iodine, particularly when the treatment was repeated during the healing stage. Conclusion: The adjunctive use of PVP-iodine during scaling and root planing may increase the clinical pocket depth reduction, although the clinical significance is small to moderate. were of low quality and the treatment modalities showed various differences like the use of PVP-iodine in different concentrations and application modalities.Nevertheless, especially single-rooted teeth showed an additional benefit after scaling and root planing with PVP-iodine, particularly when the treatment was repeated during the healing. Conclusion:The adjunctive use of PVP-iodine during scaling and root planing may increase the clinical pocket depth reduction, although the clinical significance is small to moderate.

Aims: This study investigated the loss of tooth substance (μg) by means of liquid scintillation in combination with profilometric and SEM analyses in order to evaluate the roughness and morphological changes of the root surface before and after instrumentation. Method: 40 polished and irradiated bovine root surfaces were scaled in vitro while covered with 50 ml destilled water using a sonic prototype (Periosonic® 1/2), a magnetostrictive ultrasonic (Cavitron® with Slimline® inserts) scaler and a hand curette. Pressures were applied for the Periosonic, Cavitron and hand curette at 500, 500 and 30 g respectively, for 30‐s intervals, up to 120 s. Loss of apatite (μg) was determined from the decays/min (32P) of the water samples using the radiochemical method of liquid scintilation. Replicas were made of the specimens for SEM and profilometric analyses. Results: The least substance loss was noted significantly (p<0.01) at all time intervals after Slimline, followed by the fine sonic prototype Periosonic 2, then the Periosonic 1 and finally the hand curette. In contrast, profilometric and SEM analyses revealed the smoothest root surfaces after the hand curette, whereas Cavitron produced a less smooth surface. Conclusion: It can be concluded that this method can reveal very precisely small quantities of substance lost and, in combination with SEM analysis and microroughness measurements, be of considerable value in evaluating the aggressiveness and efficacy of periodontal instruments.

This clinical study demonstrated that Periosonic(R) instruments are clinically at least as effective as curettes in PPD reduction when initial PPD is < or =6 mm and show better clinical attachment level improvement with less recession for initial PPD of > or =7 mm.