Dental turbines are some of the most widely used instruments in dentistry. Turbines have many applications, as they can be used to remove decaying material, to grind teeth, to prepare crowns and cavities, or to polish any remaining composite material.
One of the most important elements to take into account when choosing a dental turbine is its connection type, as a turbine's compatibility with a dental chair will depend on the type of connection.
For connections of dental turbines, we can identify two main families:
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Turbines with a direct hose connection.
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Turbines with a quick adapter.
Turbines with direct hose connection: Midwest (M4) and Borden connections
Turbines with direct hose connections are connected directly to the dental chair's hose. They have the advantage of being more economical and they do not need a separate adapter. Also, no air force is lost in the adapter; hence if you don't have a lot of air pressure available in your cabinet, those may be a good option to consider. On the other hand, if you have to plug and unplug them often to grease or sterilize them, this will be a more cumbersome process than if you had a quick connection.
Midwest and Borden Connection Diagram
The turbine on the left has a four-hole Midwest (M4) connection, while the turbine on the right has a two-hole Borden connection.
Turbines with quick adapter: NSK, Kavo, Bien Air, W&h...
Modern turbines from major manufacturers often have a quick adapter connection making it very easy to connect and disconnect the turbines. This adapter is attached to the hose connection (either the 4-hole Midwest or 2-hole Borden hose), and is left in place, with only the turbine being connected to and easily disconnected from the adapter for greasing or sterilization.
Each of the main brands of dental turbines have their own quick adapters, which are compatible with turbines from their brand. Today, however, the most widespread adapter, which is gradually becoming a standard in the industry, is the Multiflex Coupling from Kavo.
Kavo Multiflex Adapter. The most widespread quick coupling.
