Clinical Comparison of the Stain Removal Efficacy of Two Air Polishing Powders

Using air polishing with sodium bicarbonate powders with grain size 65 µm provides efficacy in the removal of dental stains but it can cause gingival trauma if used towards the gingiva. Since having big size particles is uncomfortable, the current recommendation according to literature is to use a smaller grain size (40 µm) that results in more patient comfort. However, the efficacy of small grain size on stain removal has not been studied adequately. This study aimed to compare the stain removal efficacy between sodium bicarbonate powders with grain size 65 µm and 40 µm and also to evaluate patient's acceptance after treatment and operator's opinion after using both air polishing powders.

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy subjects who aged over 18 years old.
• Subjects who have healthy periodontal health or gingivitis.
• At least 3 upper teeth (anterior, premolar and molar) are presented on both side (right & left side), which will be refer as index teeth, that did not present with any gingival recession, cervical abrasion and/or abfraction, caries, restoration or orthodontic appliance.
• Intrinsic stain is not present.
• Index teeth are presented with extrinsic stain with individual Lobene score scored 2 or above.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy or current breastfeeding mother.
• Allergy to sodium bicarbonate or the aroma of the powder