Air abrasion units are not new. The first units were introduced to the profession in 1948. The technique did not enjoy widespread acceptance primarily because of the inability to create retentive forms for amalgam restorations.

“Needle’ and ‘drilling’ are the most objectionable words in most people’s vocabulary for dental treatments. Before the 1940s, drilling with steel burs in belt driven, slow speed handpieces was traumatic, noisy, vibrating and painful and, in addition, dentists used ‘novocain’ mostly for extractions.

Chatting at the week-end, over lunch on Saturday, with my wife and teenage daughter we got onto the subject of photography. We reminisced about film speeds (ASA100, 200, 400 etc) forgetting to set it on the camera correctly would ruin all the Christmas pictures of Aunt Mabel asleep in the armchair during the Queens speech - having over-indulged - again. We extolled the virtues of aperture settings (f stop) of how to improve depth of field - if this was required – to show the rest of the family having fun at Aunt Mabel’s expense.

Back in the early 1990’s Air Abrasion units were re-launched (they started life back in 1945) with great excitement, alongside Nd:YAG Lasers – only to cover their operators with powder! The KCP units launched at Alexandra Palace in 1990, were huge, expensive units plugged into the mains but what has changed since?

Mwanza, in Tanzania, is now firmly on the map as far as Fluid Abrasion is concerned! Velopex have provided an Aquacut Quattro which has been installed at the busy Bridge2Aid Hope Dental Centre in Mwanza.