Product Evaluation

PATTERSON DENTAL

Hygiene Handpiece

The Patterson Hygiene Handpiece combines improved user comfort with optimal access and efficiency

When promoting a brand name product, companies may spend millions on research and development, patents, packaging, advertising, and promotional materials. But quality products don’t need an expensive marketing campaign to prove their performance. Private label products can be just as good as the brand name counterparts—just ask these dental hygienists who recently tested Patterson Dental’s Hygiene Handpiece and discovered it to be a topnotch performer with first-class features.

One hygienist who appreciates those features more than she anticipated is Julie Carr, RDH, who, like many of her colleagues, was hoping to find a more comfortable handpiece. “I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the hygiene handpiece,” she shared, calling it easier to grasp and quieter than the brand name handpiece she typically uses. “It is thinner, so it fits better in my hand,”

Carr explained, who also said the handpiece runs smoothly and quietly. “My chairside experience was improved. The handpiece was lighter, and I had less hand fatigue at the end of the day.” Carr would likely agree that it could be beneficial to ignore the marketing and hype surrounding a highly advertised product and consider a lower cost option that is just as good or even better than a brand name product. “Overall, I found the Patterson Hygiene Handpiece to be superior when compared to my [other] hygiene handpiece. I have really enjoyed using it,” Carr concluded.

User Comfort/Ergonomics

A smaller size, lighter weight, and ergonomic design are among the features most prized by hygienists—features provided by the Patterson Hygiene Handpiece. Frustrated by “heavy, bulky handpieces with poor ergonomics that cause operator fatigue,” Kim Attanasi, PhD, RDH, said she was “extremely happy” with the weight and design of this handpiece, which she described as “extremely lightweight and comfortable in my hand with zero fatigue.” Kim Williams’ favorite feature was the short, lightweight design, and Lisa Juliana also appreciated that it was lighter than her current handpiece. “The balance is exceptional, and I love how smoothly it spins the disposable prophy angle,” Juliana added.

Pleased to find that “the grip is a comfortable size for my hand,” Lynell Ciranna, RDH, said the handpiece was heavier than others, and she found it difficult to separate the 2 pieces of the handpieces prior to sterilization. Hygienist Tara Cabral said she “loved the matte finish, which gives the handpiece a nice grip and prevents slipping,” and suggested “a slightly wider, more ergonomic base.”

Access & Efficiency

For optimal access and power, the Patterson Hygiene Handpiece consists of 2 pieces—a PD-44 M nosecone with a 20-mm head size and a PD-25 RM motor with a maximum drive speed of 25,000 rpm. Attanasi praised the handpiece’s compact size and power, saying, “The handpiece is small, so it provides ease of access,” and “it provided significant revolution power” despite the low noise level. Ciranna was most impressed by the steady rotation and speed and was pleased that “all of our disposable prophy angles fit nicely on the product without being jerky or slow.” For Juliana, “this handpiece made polishing heavy stain easier. It improved the experience.”

Because the handpiece is slightly thinner and longer than other handpieces Sarah Hester has used, she liked that the hose was kept out of her visual working area. And, unlike her older handpieces, Hester said the Patterson Hygiene Handpiece ran smoothly and was easy to rotate with the rotation point closer to the hose attachment than to the end with the prophy angle. This, she explained, “makes it easier to turn the angle as I’m moving through the mouth, and it seemed to make polishing faster since I didn’t need to move the handpiece around as much.”

"“It was extremely lightweight and comfortable in my hand with zero fatigue.”
Kim Attansi, PhD, RDH
Staten Island, NT

Handpiece Quality

Describing the Patterson Hygiene Handpiece as “an efficient, sturdy handpiece that can be autoclaved and appears to hold up,” Laura Inman, RDH, was pleased that the top piece conveniently detaches for autoclaving. “It feels sturdy and steady when polishing,” noted Ciranna, and Williams agreed that it is “a reliable handpiece that held up to sterilization multiple times per day. It handled the job without any malfunctions or problems chairside and was ready to roll for each patient.”

Carr considers it an extra benefit that the handpiece comes in 2 pieces and can be used as a motor for a straight or latch handpiece. This, she explained, would save time if a hygiene patient needed a crown adjusted or a chipped tooth smoothed out. In this case, a dentist could attach a straight or latch handpiece to the same motor without moving the patient to another operatory.

Overall Satisfaction

For the hygienists who evaluated the Patterson Hygiene Handpiece, its unassuming name proved far less important than the comfort, ease of access, efficiency, and durability it provided. “It is a great product for a good price,” said Williams, and Cabral described it as a “great quality handpiece that works wonderfully.” Noting that she would recommend and purchase this handpiece in the future, Juliana concluded, “I wish I could replace all of my current handpieces with this one.”

Takeaways

• Optimial Power and high torque provide excellent cutting performance without stalling
• Four spray ports maximize cutting and cooling efficiency
• A fiber optic light and a 10-mm head diameter provide optimial visibility and access
• Ergonomically desgiend for user-friendly operation with less hand fatigue