AIRFLOW® ON NATURAL TEETH
Subgingival

CLINICAL EVIDENCE
Edition 2022

CLINICAL BENEFITSAIRFLOW® removes supra- and subgingival biofilm fromperiodontal pockets up to 4 mm.1
Higher comfort than hand instrumentation.1,2
Can replace curettes in periodontal pockets up to 5 mm3during supportive periodontal therapy.2,4Superior efficiency in biofilm removal.1,5
Easy and comfortable for both patient and operator.3
Less gingival erosion than hand instrumentation6,7 andultrasonic scaling.5,7Superior patient comfort and tolerance compared to handor ultrasonic.2,8Full mouth therapy with AIRFLOW®
PLUS Powder is comfortable9 andcan be implemented not only onpatients
withaggressiveperiodontitis but above all onpatients with mild periodontal
disease or healthy gingiva.9
Biofilm removal using AIRFLOW® with erythritol powder
prior to scaling reduced total scaling time.10
Allows easier accessibility to tooth surfaces andeliminates biofilm in a much more predictable way incomparison to rubber cup polishing.10

MICROBIOLOGICAL BENEFITSGreater reduction in subgingival bacteria in comparison to hand instruments1,11,12
100 % periodontal ligament cell survival, attachment, andspreading onto all root surfaces demonstrating very highbiocompatibility.13
After 90 days of full mouth therapy combined with CHX
rinsing, AIRFLOW® significantly lowers counts of P.
gingivalis in comparison to scaling and root planing.4,12

Adjunctive AIR-FLOWING® disinfection process before
invasive full-mouth scaling and root planing is apromising approach to reduce the bacterial penetration
into the bloodstream during periodontal treatment.14

GUIDED BIOFILM THERAPY (GBT) PROTOCOL
Maintains periodontal health more effectively thansubgingival debridement with curette1,11,15 from pockets
3-5 mm.
Safe16 for subgingival use9 with no adverse reaction.1,11
Economical treatment17 and faster biofilm removal,3,18
increasing efficiency during supportive periodontal
therapy.17
Safe7 on hard and soft tissues, time saving, does notproduce any sensitivity and is easy to learn.18
AIR-FLOWING® with erythritol-based PLUS Powder andultrasonic debridement was more comfortable thanultrasonic debridement and polishing group.10

AIRFLOW® with erythritol powder,PERIOFLOW® & PIEZON® therapy
was safe and produced results
clinically comparable to those of
traditional SRP.19
Dental hygienists’ satisfaction level
was highest in the AIRFLOW® followed by scaling (AS)group. Professional biofilm management starting withAIRFLOW® and followed by scaling is an efficientmethod.10

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW,20 SUMMARY21 META ANALYSIS2 AND CONSENSUS
AIRFLOW® is effective and is an alternative toconventional debridement of single and multi-rootedteeth with no furcation involvement during supportive
periodontal therapy.2 Also caused no damage toperiodontal soft tissues.2
Associated with less discomfort during non-surgicalperiodontal therapy and is an alternative approach insupportive periodontal treatment (SPT).20
Viable method for reducing subgingival biofilm andprobing pocket depths. Delivers high levels of safety,

patient satisfaction, efficacy and potential profits.21
Should be recommended to patients.
AIR-FLOWING® could be used as an alternative to handand ultrasonic instrumentation to reduce periodontal
inflammation during the treatment of residual pockets or
during supportive periodontal care. AIR-FLOWING® isbelieved to be a safe, comfortable and time-efficienttool.22
Subgingival AIRFLOW® therapy is safe23and effective incomparison to manual or ultrasonic instruments inperiodontal pockets up to 4 mm probing depths.23

AIRFLOW® ON NATURAL TEETH Subgingival

1.

Subgingival plaque removal in buccal and lingual sites using anovel low abrasive air-polishing powder. Petersilka, G. J.,
Steinmann, D., Häberlein, I., Heinecke, A. & Flemmig, T. F. J Clin
Periodontol 30, 328–33 (2003).

13.

Effects of air polishing and an amino acid buffered hypochlorite
solution to dentin surfaces and periodontal ligament cell survival,attachment, and spreading. Schmidlin, P. R. et al. Clin Oral Investig
21, 1589–1598 (2017).

2.

The efficacy of air polishing devices in supportive periodontal
therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ng, E., Byun, R.,
Spahr, A. & Divnic-Resnik, T. Quintessence Int 49, 453–467 (2018).

14.

Influence of periodontal treatment on blood microbiotas: a clinical
trial. Zhang, W., Meng, Y., Jing, J., Wu, Y. & Li, S. PeerJ 9, e10846(2021).

3.

Subgingival air-polishing in the treatment of periodontal biofilm
infections. Petersilka, G. J. Periodontol 2000 55, 124–42 (2011).

15.

4.

A paradigm shift in mechanical biofilm management? Subgingival
air polishing: a new way to improve mechanical biofilm
management in the dental practice. Sculean, A. et al. Quintessence
Int 44, 475–7 (2013).

Retrospective analysis of the long-term effect of subgingival air
polishing in supportive periodontal therapy. Petersilka, G. et al. J
Clin Periodontol 48, 263–271 (2021).

16.

5.

Efficacy of glycine powder air polishing in comparison withsodium bicarbonate air polishing and ultrasonic scaling - a
double-blind clinico-histopathologic study. Simon, C. J.,
Munivenkatappa Lakshmaiah Venkatesh, P. & Chickanna, R. Int J
Dent Hyg 13, 177–83 (2015).

The effects of erythritol air-polishing powder on microbiologic andclinical outcomes during supportive periodontal therapy: Sixmonth results of a randomized controlled clinical trial. Hägi, T. T.
et al. Quintessence Int 46, 31–41 (2015).

17.

Subgingival debridement efficacy of glycine powder air polishing.
Flemmig, T. F. et al. J Periodontol 78, 1002–10 (2007).

18.

Clinical outcomes of using erythritol powder by means of air
polishing with ultrasonic debridement in the treatment of initialperiodontal pockets in hand of dental students: A split-mouth,
randomized, comparative, controlled study. Part I. Albonni, H. et al.
Int J Dent Hyg 19, 262–272 (2021).

19.

One-Stage Full Mouth Instrumentation (OSFMI): Clinical
Outcomes of an Innovative Protocol for the Treatment of Severe
Periodontitis. Mensi, M. et al. J Int Acad Periodontol 22, 129–136(2020).

6.

Effect of glycine powder air-polishing on the gingiva. Petersilka, G.
et al. J Clin Periodontol 35, 324–32 (2008).

7.

Evaluation of an ex vivo porcine model to investigate the effect oflow abrasive airpolishing. Petersilka, G., Heckel, R., Koch, R.,
Ehmke, B. & Arweiler, N. Clin Oral Investig 22, 2669–2673 (2018).

8.

Air-Polishing in Subgingival Root Debridement during Supportive
Periodontal Care: A Review. Janaphan, K., Rg, H. & Gillam, D.
Journal of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research 2, 1–7 (2020).

20.

Full Mouth-Erythritol Powder Air Polishing Therapy (FM_EPAPT):
Paradigm Shift. Il nuovo modo di concepire la terapia. Mensi, M.
Quintessence International 32, 119–122 (2016).

A systematic review on the patient perception of periodontal
treatment using air polishing devices. Bühler, J., Amato, M.,
Weiger, R. & Walter, C. Int J Dent Hyg 14, 4–14 (2016).

21.

Research on dental plaque removal methods for efficient oral
prophylaxis: With a focus on air polishing and rubber cup
polishing. Park, B.-Y., Kim, M., Park, J., Jeong, J.-H. & Noh, H. Int J
Dent Hyg 19, 255–261 (2021).

Does glycine powder impact on clinical attachment levels andsubgingival biofilm in adults with periodontal disease ? Asystematic review summary. Hilson, P. Annual Clinical Journal ofDental Health 32–36 (2018).

22.

Use of air polishing for supra- and subgingival biofilm removal fortreatment of residual periodontal pockets and supportive
periodontal care: a systematic review. Nascimento, G. G., Leite, F.
R. M., Pennisi, P. R. C., López, R. & Paranhos, L. R. Clin Oral Investig
25, 779–795 (2021).

23.

Consensus Conference Findings on Supragingival and Subgingival
Air Polishing. Cobb, C. M. et al. Compend Contin Educ Dent 38, e1–e4 (2017).

9.

10.

11.

Subgingival plaque removal at interdental sites using a lowabrasive air polishing powder. Petersilka, G. J. et al. J Periodontol
74, 307–11 (2003).

12.

Randomized controlled trial assessing efficacy and safety ofglycine powder air polishing in moderate-to-deep periodontal
pockets. Flemmig, T. F. et al. J Periodontol 83, 444–52 (2012).

Benefit from SDA training:swissdentalacademy.com

FA-718 EN Rev. B Ed. 03/2022

References