The study of the use of air abrasion technology for dental applications initiated by Dr Robert Black in the 1940’s was successfully introduced in 1951 with the Airdent air abrasion unit (S.S. White). In spite of showing promising results, the concept did not gain popularity due to three major factors. Firstly, air abrasion was not able to prepare cavities with well-defined walls and margins, and the materials during that time (mostly amalgam and direct or indirect gold) demanded such preparations since the concept of bonding had not been introduced. Secondly, the introduction of the air turbine handpiece in the late 1950s made conventional cavity preparations less time consuming. Thirdly, as high-velocity suction had not been developed, evacuation of the powder was difficult.
Though the basic concept of the air abrasion device has remained the same, it has experienced a rebirth not due to changes in the device per se, but due to improvements in bonding, restorative materials, isolation, and high volume suction. Air abrasion can be best described as a pseudo-mechanical, non-rotary method of cutting and removing dental hard tissue. The terms “micro air-abrasion” and “kinetic cavity preparation” have been used synonymously to describe air abrasion. Studies have shown that the bonding of enamel and dentin surfaces prepared with air abrasion is much better than that with conventional carbide burs or acid etching; with the introduction of flowable and nano-filled composites it is easier to restore cavities which do not confer with the specifications of GV Black’s concepts. Another major concern regarding the powder particles has also been averted due to the use of isolation in the form of rubber dam and high volume evacuation devices. Air abrasion also has the advantage of decreased noise and vibration as compared to conventional rotary instruments.
