Piezoelectric osteotomy: applications in periodontal and implant surgery

Reverse piezoelectricity is currently used in Dentistry for ultrasonic scaling devices. Using this technology, increasingly more powerful ultrasonic surgical lancets were developed within a few years, and these new tools have provided many practical solutions in oral and maxillofacial surgery. This article reviews the basic principles of piezosurgery, and its numerous clinical applications: in oral surgery (atraumatic extractions, wisdom teeth exposure, periapical cyst debridement, pre-prosthetic surgery), more specifically in periodontal (root planning and bone remodeling, crown lengthening) and implant surgery (sinus lift, removal of fractured implants, bone ridge augmentation, bone graft harvesting (crestal, retromolar, chin or tori)). The recent increased power of these instruments allows emphasizing a much wider range of clinical applications, extending to all surgical fields. (c) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.