[The enamel surface quality after interproximal stripping--a scanning electron microscopic assessment of different polishing procedures].

The surface features of stripped human enamel were studied with the scanning electron microscope. The efficiency of rotating diamond and polishing discs was compared with that of diamond and polishing strips in a newly developed handpiece. Interproximal stripping with fine and superfine grit diamond coated discs and strips created furrows which were 10 microns in width. At the interface between treated and untreated enamel no hard tissue damage could be observed. Under in vitro conditions the furrows resulting from stripping were almost totally eliminated by using aluminum oxide coated strips or discs in automatically driven handpieces. After 60 s of polishing with each polishing strip/disc the treated enamel surfaces were nearly smooth. Only a few isolated furrows of 1 to maximum 3 microns were detected. As a result, we can state that it is possible to produce surfaces which are smoother than untreated natural enamel with the rotating or the oscillating polishing procedure.