Curettage--an enigma in periodontal therapy.

Curettage in periodontics conveys considerable confusion, but may be clarified by applying it to these distinct procedures--root curettage, gingival curettage and periodontal curettage. Root curettage is root planing preformed with a curette and is an essential step in the treatment of all periodontal patients to reduce inflammation and afford the opportunity to achieve varying degrees of repair. Gingival curettage is a surgical procedure removing the gingival crevicular epithelium and is of no additional benefit than scaling and root planing alone. Periodontal curettage may be employed in the treatment of osseous defects whereby the granulation tissue contents of the defect are surgically removed. This procedure, applied in appropriate cases, has significant regenerative potential.