Removal of root substance with the Vector™-system compared with conventional debridement in vitro

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the removal of root substance with the Vector(TM)-system depending on different irrigation fluids and to compare the results with conventional methods for root debridement. Material and Methods: Forty extracted human teeth were treated using four different methods: Vector(TM)-system with polishing fluid and metal curette (VP), Vector(TM)-system with abrasive fluid and metal curette (VA), conventional ultrasonic system (U) with insert tip P and hand instrument. Treatment of the calculus-free root surfaces was carried out for a total of 12 min. using an artificial periodontal pocket. At intervals of 120 s, the removal of dental hard tissues was assessed using a three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning device and the Match 3D software with an accuracy of 0.00001 mm(3). Results: No difference in the removal of root substance with the hand instrument (0.0055 mm(3)/s) and the Vector(TM)-system using the abrasive fluid (0.0044 mm(3)/s) could be observed (p=0.51). Using these two systems, a larger amount of root substance (p<0.05) was removed compared with the other methods (U: 0.0023 mm(3)/s, VP: 0.0022 mm(3)/s), which did not differ from each other (p=0.76). Conclusions: The present study indicates that the Vector(TM)-system in combination with polishing fluid or conventional ultrasonics might be used for root debridement without extensive root substance removal.