Evaluation of root surface roughness after different kinds of treatment

Objective: To compare the root surface roughness after the use of three types of treatment indicated for scaling and root planning. Methods: Seventy-five single rooted extracted teeth due to periodontal involvement were used. The teeth were divided into three groups (n = 25) and treated with different kinds of instruments: Group 1 – only Gracey curette was used, Group 2 – Gracey curette associated with diamond curette and Group 3 – Gracey curette associated with 24% EDTA gel. A roughness tester was used to verify the surface roughness and two parameters were evaluated: average surface roughness (Ra) and maximum distance between the highest peak and the lowest valley (Rt). Data were subjected to statistical analysis (oneway ANOVA with a global significance level of 5%). Results: No statistical differences were observed for the two roughness parameters. The mean Ra values were 1.81, 1.96 and 1.74,respectively for Groups 1, 2 and 3. For Rt, the means were 14.29, 14.42 and 12.60, respectively for Groups 1, 2 and 3. All values expressed in μm. Conclusion: Within the limits of this study,it can be concluded that the roughness of root surfaces after scaling and root planning was similar between the three types of treatment evaluated.