oral surgery
Piezosurgery A Versatile Tool in Dental Therapeutics Divya Khanna, B.D.S., M.D.S.; Nikita Dhingra, B.D.S., M.D.S.
ABSTRACT Dentistry has seen a lot of significant advancements over the past few decades and peizosurgery, introduced by Vercellotti, is one such novel technological innovation. It has varied applications in the field of medicine and dentistry, ranging from minor periodontal and maxillofacial surgical procedures to complex implants, bone harvesting, and plastic and reconstructive surgeries. It is based on the principle of ultrasonic transduction, obtained by piezoelectric ceramic contraction and expansion. It creates a low frequency, ultrasonic micro-vibration of 25-29 KHz, which is targeted to cut only mineralized tissue without damaging adjacent neurovascular soft tissues. Key clinical characteristics of piezosurgery include selective cutting, microprecision, maximum visibility and excellent tissue healing, which makes it a revolutionary and clinically relevant technology. This meticulous critical literature review emphasizes the beneficial clinical and biological aspects of piezosurgery and its role in improved, minimally invasive surgical outcomes to benefit dental health in a holistic aspect. 26 NOVEMBER 2021 The New York State Dental Journal ●
Dental therapeutics have evolved in leaps and bounds in the last decade. A true technological revolution is the escalating role of a novel family of ultrasonic-powered piezoelectric devices in dentistry. Ultrasonic instruments have been used for many decades in periodontology to debride root surfaces and to de-granulate periodontal bone defects.[1] Piezosurgery is a cutting-edge technology not limited to the field of dental surgery but also used to treat complex, inter-disciplinary medical and dental problems. Piezoelectric devices find varied applications in almost all branches of dentistry, ranging from minor surgical procedures to complex implant and maxillofacial surgeries, as well as plastic and reconstructive surgeries.[2] Historically, the term piezo is derived from the Greek word piezen, which means to squeeze or press or pressure.[3] The concept of piezoelectricity was first introduced in the late 19th century by French physicists and Nobel laureate Jean and Pierre Curie.[4] It was Catuna in 1953 and Volkov and Shepeleva in 1974 who described the cutting of hard tissue with ultrasonic vibrations as the piezo-electric effect.[5] Soon after that, Horton et al. described its usefulness in oral surgery procedures.[6] In 1999, it was Tomaso Vercellotti who invented the new surgical technique and patented it as piezosurgery. The main technological advancement was the adaptation of ultrasound movement for bone cutting and its varied applications and clinical advantages in dentistry.[7,8] This critical literature review emphasizes the beneficial clinical and biological aspects of piezosurgery and how they outweigh the use of traditional/conventional instruments and contribute to overall improved surgical outcomes and dental health.
