Comparison of Surgical Outcome after Impacted Third Molar Surgery Using Piezotome and a Conventional Rotary Handpiece

BACKGROUND AND AIM: One of the most commonly performed surgical procedures by oral and maxillofacial surgeons all over the world is the removal of impacted teeth. The most critical and important steps in third molar extraction are bone cutting or osteotomy. Many techniques are used for this purpose including chisels and mallet, rotary instruments, and ultrasonic-based bone cutting instruments. Piezotome is newer and innovative device for osteotomy based on piezoelectric vibrations. Piezotome is considered very efficient in performing osteotomy because of its selective cutting; being inert against soft tissues, including nerves and blood vessels. The aim of this study was to compare the surgical outcome of third molar surgery using conventional handpiece and piezotome with all other criteria remaining same for all the individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients reporting to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, for impacted mandibular third molar removal were screened. A total of 30 patients with same Pederson difficulty index for bilateral impacted third molar were selected for the study. The study involved the use of piezotome on one side (Side A) and rotary technique (Side B) on the other side for osteotomy on the same patient with an interval of 1 month. Therapeutic management was same for both the sides. Operating time was recorded in each surgery. Patients were examined postoperatively on 1(st), 3(rd), and 7(th) day and pain, edema, trismus, paresthesia, and dry socket were evaluated and compared on both the sides. Data collected were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The mean operating time was 48.13 min in piezotome (Side A) and 32.90 min in conventional handpiece (Side B) which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Furthermore, there was statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) in the level of pain (P < 0.001), number of analgesics taken (P < 0.001), and trismus (P < 0.01) on 1(st), 3(rd), and 7(th) days postoperatively. There was no statistically significant difference in edema between the two sides. Paresthesia was present in one patient (3.3%) in Side B, while no paresthesia was present in Side A. No incidence of alveolar osteitis was reported on both the sides. CONCLUSION: Operating time with piezotome was more than that of conventional handpiece, but the postoperative responses such as pain, trismus, and edema were less in piezotome. Hence, despite being a slower procedure, piezotome can be an effective alternative for osteotomy in impacted third molar surgery. We recommend using piezotome for bone cutting and conventional rotary handpiece for tooth sectioning in order to obtain favorable outcomes as well as decreasing the operating time.