Clinical comparison of the stain removal efficacy of two air polishing powders

OBJECTIVES Air polishing with sodium bicarbonate powders with a grain size of 40 μm is recommended for patient comfort. However, the efficacy of small grain size on stain removal has not been adequately studied. This study aimed to compare the stain removal efficacy of sodium bicarbonate powders with grain sizes of 65 and 40 μm and to evaluate patient acceptance and operator opinion after using both air polishing powders. MATERIALS AND METHODS A double-blind, randomized, split-mouth study was conducted with 35 participants with moderate to heavy dental staining on both sides of the upper teeth. Removal of dental stains on the index teeth was performed using sodium bicarbonate powders with a grain size of either 65 or 40 μm. The time taken to completely remove all dental stains was recorded. After treatment, a questionnaire was used to evaluate patient acceptance and the operator's opinion. RESULTS The average time for the removal of all stains by powder was 4.5 ± 3.6 min with a grain size of 65 μm and 4.4 ± 3.8 min with a grain size of 40 μm. The difference in the average time between the two groups was not significant (P = 0.461). The operator's opinions of the two powders were identical, and patient acceptance did not differ significantly between the two types of powders. CONCLUSIONS The 40 μm sodium bicarbonate powder removed dental stains as efficiently as the 65-μm powder. Powder handling and patient acceptance were comparable between grain sizes of 65 and 40 μm.