Effect of Various Scaling and Conditioning Procedures Onperiodontally Affected Human Root Surfaces: a Scanning Electron Microscopic Study*

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the appearance of periodontally involved root surfaces after hand scaling and after using two different piezoelectric ultrasonic scalers. Further, the root surfaces were examined by a scanning electron microscope after they have been treated with saline, saturated citric acid, saturated tetracycline hydrochloride or 8% EDTA for 3 minutes. Thirty-seven root specimens from the "diseased" part of nine periodontally-involved human permanent teeth were analyzed after they have been treated according to the above-mentioned procedures with corresponding controls (non-treated) in a randomized order. The observations made indicated no differences among the three scaling devices, but significant differences among etched, or chelated, and non-etched, or non-chelated, root surfaces with the former showing needle-pointed surfaces and crater formations.