Oscillating diamond instruments are considered gentle sources for the removal of demineralized tooth hard tissues and the preparation of cavity angles and margins needed in minimally invasive dentistry. However, there is a question if literature provides enough evidence for their efficacy in restorative dentistry procedures. A literature search until May 2016 was conducted, using PubMed, Scopus, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. The quality of the studies was assessed using the recommendation of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine. Fifty-five studies were finally included in the study. Of which, 78.2% of them were laboratory studies and only 21.8% were clinical studies. The strength of recommendation was 5 for most of them and D their grade of evidence. Bond strength of adhesives on surfaces prepared with these instruments, effective caries removal and cutting characteristics of the oscillating instruments were the main targets of the studies. Conventional diamond, steel, and chemical vapor deposition diamond tips and systems based on abrasive slurry were the oscillating tips, used in different studies. The strength of recommendation and grade of evidence of the studies were low. Although these devices seem to be useful for many clinical situations, there is a need for more well-structured evidence-based studies with more widely accepted procedures and common devices, to have more meaningful results and conclusions of higher strength.
Keywords: Chemical vapor deposition tips; oscillating instruments; sonic dental devices; sono-abrasion; ultrasonic dental devices; ultrasonic diamond tips.