Developing the Optimal Osteotome Hand-Sharpening Method.

Rhinoplasty osteotomes can be sharpened in various ways: professional sharpening or hand sharpening using whetstones or rotary powered devices. To compare the effectiveness of sharpening osteotomes using various sharpening methods with that of professional sharpening as measured by a custom edge tester. We performed repeated serial osteotome impacts on bovine femoral cortical bone. These dull osteotomes were sharpened using preidentified sharpening techniques. Edge morphology was evaluated. Sharpness was tested using a custom mechanical testing platform. Optimized sharpness was achieved with a whetstone sharpening method wherein the osteotome is flipped after every stroke. Seven distinct sharpening methods were tested for sharpness five times each to determine the optimal sharpening method versus professional sharpening (control). The two sharpening methods, 5 (5.51 ± 0.32) and 6 (5.55 ± 0.32), that used this flipping technique were significantly sharper than other methods. Methods 5 ( = 1.0) and 6 ( = 1.0) were the only methods that were not significantly different from control. Single stroke with successively alternating surfaces created the sharpest blades that achieved results similar to professional sharpening.