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Reproducibility of attachment level measurements with two models of the Florida Probe®
Author(s) -
Marks R. G.,
Low S. B.,
Taylor M.,
Baggs R.,
Magnusson I.,
Clark W. B.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of clinical periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.456
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1600-051X
pISSN - 0303-6979
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-051x.1991.tb00072.x
Subject(s) - reproducibility , periodontitis , periodontal disease , stent , biomedical engineering , materials science , enamel paint , dentistry , clinical attachment loss , orthodontics , mathematics , medicine , radiology , statistics
Clinical assessment of the progression of periodontitis is based on the measurement of periodontal probing attachment levels over time. In calculating these changes, duplicate measurements from fixed reference points, including cemento‐enamel junctions and acrylic stents, have been used to assist in detecting progressive disease. The Florida Probe® has been previously shown to improve the reproducibility of these measurements when used with an acrylic stent. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the reproducibility of 2 models of the Florida Probe®, the original stent model and the modified disk model, in measuring attachment level. The disk probe differs from the stent probe in that it uses the occlusal surface of the tooth as a static reference point in calculating changes in attachment level measurements. In 10 subjects, sites were probed 2 × by 2 examiners using both types of probe. Standard deviations and intra‐ and inter‐examiner correlations were calculated. These results demonstrate that the new disk probe yields reproducible measurements similar to the stent probe and is therefore suitable for use in longitudinal clinical studies.