Objectives: The aim of this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study was to compare the effectiveness of a newly developed ultrasonic device to that of scaling and root planing for non-surgical periodontal treatment.
Material and methods: Thirty-eight patients with moderate to advanced chronic periodontal disease were treated according to an "one-stage procedure" with either a newly developed ultrasonic device (VUS) (Vector-ultrasonic system) or scaling and root planing (SRP) using hand instruments. Clinical assessments by plaque index (PlI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were made prior to and at 6 months after treatment. Differences in clinical parameters were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test and Mann and Whitney U-test.
Results: No differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed at baseline between the two groups. The mean value of BOP decreased in the VUS group from 32% at baseline to 20% after 6 months (p<0.001) and in the SRP group from 30% at baseline to 18% after 6 months (p<0.001). The results have shown that at moderately deep sites (initial PD 4-5 mm) mean CAL changed in the test group from 4.6+/-1.2 to 4.2+/-1.6 mm (p< 0.001) and in the control group from 4.8+/-1.3 to 4.4+/-1.5 mm (p<0.001). At deep sites (initial PD>6 mm) mean CAL changed in the test group from 8.5+/-1.9 to 7.9+/-2.4 mm (p<0.001) and in the control group from 7.9+/-1.6 to 7.2+/-2.2 mm (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences in any of the investigated parameters were found between the two groups.
Conclusion: Non-surgical periodontal therapy with the tested ultrasonic device may lead to clinical improvements comparable to those obtained with conventional hand instruments.