Which term is another name for subgingival curettage?

• A. Open root planing
• B. Closed root planing
• C. Scaling
• D. Root planing

Answer: (B)

Subgingival curettage is the removal of diseased pocket lining and debridement carried out without raising a gum flap, i.e., through the sulcus. When done in this non-surgical, closed way, it aligns with closed root planing—root surfaces are cleaned and debrided without exposing the roots surgically. Opening the tissue with a flap would be open root planing, which is a different approach. Scaling focuses on removing calculus and biofilm and doesn’t inherently address pocket lining, and root planing covers root surface debridement but isn’t defined by whether the procedure is performed with or without a flap. Therefore, the best match for subgingival curettage is closed root planing.