Berry E A, Eakle W S, Summitt J B
Compend Contin Educ Dent. 1999 Aug;20(8):751-4, 756, 758-9 passim; quiz 764.
Recently, air abrasion has experienced a rebirth in restorative dentistry. Originally developed in the late 1940s, the principle of air abrasion is the imparting of kinetic energy to tiny aluminum oxide particles that are projected by a stream of compressed air or gas and expelled from a small nozzle. The force generated by the relatively hard particles striking a relatively hard surface is sufficient to cut into that surface. In the last decade, more than a dozen models of air abrasion units have been introduced into the marketplace and more are on the way. Manufacturers have developed air abrasion instruments that offer a broad range of features, from small table-top units to self-contained systems with compressors, vacuums, and curing lights. The costs range dramatically--from $1,000 to $20,000 or more--depending on the complexity of the features and attachments. Manufacturers make a variety of claims to support the value of this technology to the practicing dentist. A term often used to describe one of the benefits of air abrasion is microdentistry. The claim is that smaller, less invasive tooth preparations may be accomplished using air abrasion than with a traditional bur and air turbine. This may be true in some instances, but it would certainly depend on the operator's experience and ability to visually discern fine detail. Other claims about air abrasion are that it can be used to cut into tooth structure without local anesthesia and that it should be used on all stained grooves or fissures to determine if incipient carious lesions are present. Despite the limited number of clinical studies, the popularity of air abrasion continues to grow. To gain additional insight about these claims and to see what might be on the horizon for this technology, I spoke with three highly respected educators who are recognized for their expertise in air abrasion. What they said should give the reader a better understanding of how air abrasion might augment restorative dentistry procedures and techniques.
最近，空气喷砂技术在修复牙科领域迎来了复兴。空气喷砂技术最初于20世纪40年代末开发，其原理是将动能赋予微小的氧化铝颗粒，这些颗粒由压缩空气或气体流喷射，并从一个小喷嘴中喷出。相对坚硬的颗粒撞击相对坚硬的表面所产生的力足以切入该表面。在过去十年中，市场上已推出了十多种空气喷砂设备型号，而且还有更多型号即将推出。制造商们开发了各种空气喷砂仪器，具有广泛的功能，从小型台式设备到配备压缩机、真空泵和固化灯的独立系统。成本差异很大，从1000美元到20000美元甚至更多，这取决于功能和附件的复杂程度。制造商们提出了各种说法来支持这项技术对执业牙医的价值。一个常用于描述空气喷砂好处的术语是“微观牙科”。其说法是，与传统牙钻和空气涡轮机相比，使用空气喷砂可以完成更小、侵入性更小的牙齿预备。在某些情况下可能确实如此，但这肯定取决于操作者的经验和视觉辨别细微细节的能力。关于空气喷砂的其他说法是，它可以在不使用局部麻醉的情况下切入牙齿结构，并且应该用于所有染色的沟或裂隙，以确定是否存在早期龋损。尽管临床研究数量有限，但空气喷砂的受欢迎程度仍在持续增长。为了更深入了解这些说法，并看看这项技术的未来发展趋势，我采访了三位在空气喷砂领域以专业知识著称的备受尊敬的教育工作者。他们所说的内容应该能让读者更好地理解空气喷砂如何增强修复牙科的程序和技术。
