The periodontal endoscope is a technological device developed for the treatment of periodontal disease, originally marketed by Dental View, in Lake Forrest, California. This equipment is now available from Dr. John Kwan, in California, who operates a company that buys and sells used equipment, and offers training and technical support.(1)
The instrument allows access to root surfaces with magnification, lessening the need for surgical intervention. Combined with ultrasonic instruments, endoscopic debridement can be accomplished in a minimally invasive manner by the clinician.
The perioscope, as it is called, is an endoscope that has been specifically designed to explore and visualize the periodontal pocket in patients with periodontitis. An image on a computer monitor shows the diseased tooth's root surface. The perioscope enables the clinician to see the contents of the periodontal pocket and to analyze the root surface of the tooth for disease, as well as to see plaque and calculus. It also allows for identification of other problems, such as cracks in the tooth, and perforations and other disease entities of the root surface. Previously, this would require a surgical procedure.
The debridement technique most often used with the perioscope is specialized ultrasonic instrumentation. The American Academy of Periodontology had a position paper on sonic and ultrasonic scalers (‘‘Sonic and Ultrasonic Scalers in Periodontics,” 2000) that was rescinded in May 2007 by the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Periodontology. However, this newsletter is not about manual versus ultrasonic debridement techniques, but the perioscope. The periodontal endoscope allows for subgingival visualization of the root surface at magnifications of 24x to 48x.(2)
This is accomplished through a .99 mm fiber optic bundle that is a combination of a 10,000-pixel capture bundle surrounded by multiple illumination fibers. This fiber is delivered to the gingival margin coupled into an instrument called an “explorer.” For more information, see the information contained in this newsletter.
I want to thank all the authors that contributed to the wealth of information in this newsletter in the area of information and case studies. A special thanks goes out to Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, and John Kwan, DDS.
References
1. www.perioscopyinc.com/.
2. Kwan JY. Enhanced Periodontal Debridement With the Use of Micro Ultrasonic, Periodontal Endoscopy March.2005.Vol.33.No.3.CDA.Journal. www.cda.org/library/cda_member/pubs/journal/jour0305/kwan.pdf.
Sincerely,
Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS
To read previous RDH eVillage FOCUS introductions by Editorial Director Maria Perno Goldie, go to introductions.
