A 13 year old male patient presents to the clinic for routine dental examination and has a history of frequent snacking and sugary beverages. Intraoral examination shows multiple pit and fissure caries and subsurface enamel porosity manifesting as milky white opacity. Which of the following is not a preferred method for diagnostic examination?
Correct Answer: Tactile method using Explorer
Description: Traditionally, dentists have relied upon a visual-tactile radiographic procedure for the detection of dental caries. This procedure involves the visual identification of demineralized areas (typically white spots) or suspicious pits or fissures and the use of the dental explorer to determine the presence of a loss of continuity or breaks in the enamel and to assess the softness or resilience of the enamel.
Tactile probing with an explorer is no longer used for caries detection in most European countries, and this protocol has now been adopted by many U.S. dental schools.
The primary concerns that led to the discontinuation of the probing procedure were as follows:
The insertion of the explorer into the suspected lesion inevitably disrupts the surface layer covering very early lesions, thereby eliminating the possibility for remineralization of the decalcified area.
The probing of lesions and suspected lesions results in the transport of cariogenic bacteria from one area to another.
Frank lesions requiring restoration are generally apparent visually without the need for probing.
Category:
Dental
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