The sharpening of scaling instruments: I. An examination of principles.

The theory and practice of sharpening with particular emphasis upon dental scalers and periodontal curettes have been discussed in Part I of this series. Various cutting modes and edge characteristics are described together with the special requirements they present in sharpening. Different approaches to sharpening are examined. Stressed are the advantages of using powered rotary stones on the sides of the blade instead of the blade face in sharpening scalers and curettes. Part II will describe the sharpening procedure--materials and technique--used and preferred by the authors.