Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Silicon points polishing, rubber cup polishing and air peen polishing are three principal polishing methods at present.
OBJECTIVE: To study the different clinical effects of three polishing methods after ultrasonic scaling using a systematic review process.
METHODS: Papers published between January 1981 to 2011 referred to polishing after ultrasonic scaling were obtained by a search of Medline database and a manually retrieve. 6 papers were selected to quality assess according to inclusion criteria. The plaque index was taken as the unify index used for balanced detection of the papers. The data from the studies underwent statistical analysis by pooling.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 278 patients from 6 clinical controlled trials were included. Meta-analysis results indicated that the three polishing methods could delay the formation of plaque. There was no difference in the effects of the three methods. More randomized controlled trials are required to verify these conclusions owing to the limitations of the present study.