OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical efficacy and perception of pain during initial periodontal treatment using Vector-system and a conventional ultrasonic system.

METHODSThirty-eight patients with mild to moderate periodontitis were debrided using both A-system (Vector-system) and B-system (Suprasson P5 Newtron) in a split mouth design. At baseline, one month after treatment, plaque index (PLI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded and probing depth(PD) was measured. A verbal analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the perceived pain right after the treatment.

RESULTSAt one month evaluation, all areas showed an improvement in clinical parameters. No statistically significant differences in PD and BOP could be observed between areas treated by two different systems, while A-system contributed to greater improvement in PLI than B-system. Patients treated with A-system [(22.5 +/- 7.5) mm] experienced about 60% the amount of pain compared with the conventional ultrasonic device [(37.2 +/- 11.3) mm].

CONCLUSIONSDuring initial periodontal treatment for the patients with mild to moderate periodontitis, A-system could achieve a comparable clinical efficacy and reduced pain sensations to conventional ultrasonic device.