Objective:

To determine differences between bone healing and soft tissues in the lower jaw of patients subjected to impacted third molar extraction after using a high and low speed rotary devices.

Material and methods:

Crossed clinical assay-type intervention study. Under local anesthsesia, forty tooth extractions were performed (right and left) from 20 healthy patients. Two groups were thus formed: in group 1 high speed hand-piece was used, in group 2, low speed hand-piece was employed. Index cards were used to record time devoted to each patient as well as preoperative and postoperative clinical data related to inflammation, pain, opening limitations, bone healing and periodontal changes in the adjacent teeth.

Results:

When comparing high and low speed hand-pieces, statistically significant differences were found between pain, surgical time and probing depth; it was observed that low speed hand-piece generated lesser aggression to soft tissues.

Conclusions:

Accurate use of low speed hand-pieces allows a decrease of surgical time thus providing the patients with more suitable postoperative evolution.

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