Interdental stripping is a common clinical procedure in orthodontic therapy, by reshaping the proximal contacts. Handheld abrasive strips have been criticized as time-consuming process. Metallic strip system, diamond disk, or segment disks have become increasingly popular. The aim of this study is to evaluate the morphological aspects of remodeled dental surfaces so as to conclude which of the different techniques (disk, bur, or strip) used to reduce the mesiodistal diameter is the best to reproduce the initial contour of the proximal surface of the tooth.

Seventy-nine pieces (“teeth”) were prepared from permanent healthy teeth (premolars and molars) extracted for orthodontic reasons. They were mounted on a stand resembling the position of the natural teeth in a mild crowded dentition. The “teeth” are divided into three groups as follows: group S (strip): 26 “teeth,” group D (disk): 25 “teeth,” group B (bur): 28 “teeth.” In order to study the changes, these prepared “teeth” are macro-photographed in groups of 5 before and after proximal grinding.

The “teeth” contours have been identified using piecewise cubic Hermit polynomials. The change in the contour has been traduced in terms of the change of curvature in the “teeth” contours. We used the z-test in order to find the confidence interval for the proportion of the class “+” for each of the techniques B, S, and D. With confidence level of 95%, we obtained the following confidence intervals:

B = (0.6943; 0.9057); S = (0.9093; 1.0138); D = (0.6184; 0.8616)

These results can be interpreted, as the technique S is significantly much better than the other two techniques if we aim at conserving the shape of the teeth before and after treatment.

We conclude that the use of a strip for remodeling the proximal surface of a tooth is an optimal technique to preserve the proximal shape of the tooth although it requires more time.

The use of abrasive strip preserves the best shape of the proximal side. Abrasive strip could be the last step of any proximal reshaping technique.

Nassif N, Gholmieh MN, Sfeir E, Mourad A. In vitro Macro-qualitative Comparison of Three Enamel Stripping Procedures: What is the Best Shape We can get? Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(4):358-362