DANB General Chairside Practice Test

Which periodontal procedure is performed to remove bony defects and restore normal contours in the bone?

1. Osseous surgery

2. Gingival curettage

3. Flap surgery

4. Bone grafting

The correct answer is: Osseous surgery

Osseous surgery is specifically designed to correct and restore the contours of the bone that have been affected by periodontal disease. This procedure involves reshaping the bone around the teeth to eliminate bony defects, which can help improve the overall health of the periodontal tissue and provide better support for the teeth. The goal of osseous surgery is to promote a more harmonious relationship between the teeth and their supporting structures, thereby enhancing the healing environment. While gingival curettage focuses on cleaning the soft tissue and removing diseased tissue from the gums, it does not directly address the bony contours. Flap surgery involves lifting the gums away from the teeth to provide access to the underlying bone and tissue for treatment, but it may not specifically aim to reshape the bone itself. Bone grafting is a procedure that involves adding bone material to areas where bone density is reduced or absent, rather than reshaping existing bone contours. Each of these other procedures plays an important role in periodontal treatment, but osseous surgery is distinct in its specific focus on removing bony defects and restoring the normal architecture of the bone.