Hesperian Health Guides
Instruments
When you are treating several people on the same day, you will need to clean some instruments at the same time that you are using others. Therefore, it is necessary to have several of each kind of instrument, to be sure that the instrument you need will be ready (clean or sterile) when you need it.
There are 3 instruments you will need for each person who comes to you, no matter which treatment is needed. They are: a mirror, probe, and cotton pliers. Keep them together. Below we recommend that you have 15 of each of these, so you can keep one in each treatment kit. You do not need to buy all of these instruments. You can make several of them. If you like, buy only one example of each of the instruments below, and use them as models to copy when you make your own extra instruments.
| Use | Proper Name | local name (write in here) |
Number to buy or make |
| To examine or to give any treatment |
1. dental mouth mirror |
___________________________ | 15 |
| 2. explorer | ___________________________ | 15 | |
| 3. cotton pliers | ___________________________ | 15 | |
| To inject | Aspirating dental syringe to use with 1.8 ml cartridges |
___________________________ | 3 |
| To scale teeth |
1. Ivory C-1 Scaler | ___________________________ | 1 |
| Gracey 11-12 curette |
___________________________ | 1 | |
| To place cement fillings |
1. spoon excavator | ___________________________ | 1 |
| 2. filling instrument | ___________________________ | 1 | |
| 3. cement spatula | ___________________________ | 1 | |
| To remove teeth |
1. spoon excavator | ___________________________ | 3 |
| 2. straight elevator (No.34) |
___________________________ | 3 | |
| 3. upper universal forcep (No. 150) |
___________________________ | 3 | |
| 4. lower universal forcep (No. 156) |
___________________________ | 3 | |
| Note: See recommendations of other elevators and forceps that are good to have if you can afford them | |||
See a list of charitable organizations for help in buying instruments.
Contents
Making your own dental instruments
I am grateful to Aaron Yaschine for the ideas in this section.
Here are a few ideas for making instruments at low cost. Try to use materials that are available where you live.
clip
mirror
depressor
Can you think of any other materials you can use?
Each instrument has two parts: a handle and a working piece at the end. Join them together:
| ... with wire: |
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| ... with glue or even wax: |
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If you make the end flat, it can prevent the working piece from turning. Pound the working piece with a hammer and make a flat slot in the handle so the working piece cannot turn.
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 bottom of working piece goes in this slot |
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Making the three instruments you use most
Mirror: Use old pieces of mirror or a shiny piece of tin. You even can use a polished silver coin. A tongue depressor is the handle.
piece of wood
Probe: Use the end of a paper clip, pin or needle for the working piece. Rub it against a smooth stone to sharpen it. Bend it so it can reach around to the back of a tooth. Attach the working piece to a smooth stick handle.
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Tweezers: Draw the shape on a piece of tin and then cut it out with strong scissors. Use a file or a smooth stone to make the edges smooth. Bend in half to make the tweezers.
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Making Other Instruments and Supplies
Spoon: Bend a paper clip or needle. Flatten the end. Then pound a small stone against the end, to make it hollow. Make 2 bends and attach to a stick handle.
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Filling Tool: Remove the heads from 2 long screws. With a file and hammer, make the end of one screw flat and the end of the other screw round. Bend each end in the direction of the edge (not the face) of the flat side. Attach both working pieces to a small stick handle.
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Dental Floss: When using string to clean between your teeth, you may have trouble getting this string down in between your teeth. Sometimes, also, the string gets caught there, forming a kind of of “bird’s nest.” Three things can cause problems with dental floss:
(2) To remove the extra wax, pull the string between your fingers.
- An incorrectly made filling — flat and rough instead of round and smooth. Replace the filling.
- Teeth too tight together. Use the floss on a tooth. Then pull the string out from between the teeth as you press the free end down against the gum with the fingers of your other hand. If there is a sharp filling on a tooth, the string will pass under the filling as it comes free.
- String that is too thick. Make thinner but stronger floss by waxing as in this picture. The wax also will make the floss easier to slide between your teeth.
Buying dental supplies
When you do not have much money, you must spend wisely. Dental instruments are very expensive, especially when you buy them at commercial prices. Ask other health workers in your area where you can get instruments at lower prices. You can also try contacting the national dental association in your country. If you do not know how to locate your national dental association, contact the World Dental Federation:
FDI World Dental Federation
Chemin de Joinville 26,
1216 Geneva-Cointrin
SWITZERLAND
tel: 41-22-560-81-50
website: www.fdiworldental.org
e-mail: [email protected]
There are many organizations that donate health supplies — including dental instruments — or that distribute them at low cost. Some of these organizations prefer to help church-sponsored health projects, but others will provide instruments to anyone who needs them.
Durbin PLC, a company in England, may sell the instruments mentioned in this book at lower than commercial prices. For more information, contact:
Durbin PLC
Unit 5, Swallowfield Way
Hayes
Middlesex
UB3 1DQ, UNITED KINGDOM
tel: 44-20-8660-2220
website: www.durbinglobal.com
e-mail: [email protected]
Other organizations that may be able to help:
World Dental Relief
PO Box 747
Broken Arrow, OK 74013-0747
USA
tel: 1-918-251-2612
fax: 1-918-251-6326
website: www.worlddentalrelief.com
e-mail: [email protected]
Project HOPE
1220 19th Street NW,
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036 USA
tel: 1-844-349-0188
website:www.projecthope.org
e-mail: [email protected]
Direct Relief International
6100 Wallace Becknell Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93117 USA
tel: 1-805-964-4767
fax: 1-805-681-4838
website: www.directrelief.org
e-mail: [email protected]
MAP International
4700 Glynco Parkway
Brunswick, GA 31525-6800
USA
tel: 1-800-225-8550
website: www.map.org
e-mail: [email protected]
Dentaid
Giles Lane, Landford,
Totton, Hampshire
UNITED KINGDOM
tel: 44-1794-324249
website: www.dentaid.org
e-mail: [email protected]