Debridement

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For dental debridement, see Debridement (dental).

Necrotic tissue from the left leg is being surgically debrided in a patient with necrotizing fasciitis.

Debridement is the medical removal of a patient's dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue. Removal may be surgical, mechanical, chemical, autolytic (self-digestion), and by maggot therapy, where certain species of live maggots selectively eat only necrotic tissue.

In oral hygiene and dentistry, debridement refers to the removal of plaque and calculus that have accumulated on the teeth. Debridement in this case may be performed using ultrasonic instruments, which fracture the calculus, thereby facilitating its removal, as well as hand tools, including periodontal scaler and curettes, or through the use of chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide.

Debridement is an important part of the healing process for burns and other serious wounds; it is also used for treating some kinds of snake bites.