Preliminary investigation into the performance of a sonic scaler.

Recently a number of mechanical scalers, known as air or sonic scalers, have been developed. Preliminary investigations were undertaken to observe the operating characteristics of such a sonic scaler including its oscillatory pattern, and how this was affected by changing the design of the scaling tip, the air pressure, and the application load. The oscillatory pattern exhibited an open elliptical movement that was dependent upon the air pressure input to the instrument. Application of a load to the scaling tip resulted in oscillatory damping that increased with the magnitude of the load. The oscillatory performance of the sonic scaler differed from that observed previously with ultrasonic scalers. Investigators using the sonic scaler should indicate the type of scaling tip, the air pressure input, and the application load used to enable meaningful comparisons to be made between the results of different workers. Clinicians should be aware of its operating characteristics to avoid potential damage to the tooth surface.