VERIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF DENTAL EXPLORER SHARPNESS

An ongoing study of the relationship between different chewing gums, r emineralization, and caries rates was started in 1989 in Belize, Centr al America. Initially 1277 children, age 10 years, were assigned in eq ual randomized groups to four dentists who had been trained to identif y a standard of caries diagnosis. The same children were examined acco rding to a modified WHO caries code by the same dentist in each of the three subsequent years. To eliminate one possible variable, all 200 d ental explorers used were examined under a X20 binocular Bausch and Lo mb dissecting microscope initially and at each exam period. Any explor er not comparable to an explorer that was originally marked and kept u nused as a standard was sharpened by hand on an Arkansas oilstone wett ed with engine oil for lubrication. Explorers that could not be restor ed to a condition comparable at X20 to the standard were discarded. Ap proximately 10% of the explorers needed correction at each exam period and about 1% were discarded. In any study related to dental caries ev aluation with dental explorers or comparison of explorer use versus no nuse, verification and maintenance of sharpness of used and even new d ental explorers should be addressed to remove that factor as a possibl e variable.