LESSON 1
BASIC EXAMINATION AND ANESTHETIC INSTRUMENTS
Section I. INTRODUCTION
1-1.
GENERAL
In the age of four-handed, sit-down dentistry, a well-trained assistant is an integral
part of dental procedures. Part of your responsibility will be to anticipate the dental
officer's next move and have the instruments ready when he needs them. To do this, you
must have a thorough knowledge of the procedures the dental officer will follow and of the
appropriate instruments used in each of these procedures. Your knowledge, combined
with practice, will add to the efficiency of the dental officer and the comfort of the patient.
An efficient assistant, it has been shown, will enable the doctor-assistant team to handle
fifty percent more patients.
1-2.
MILITARY DESIGNATION OF INSTRUMENTS
a. Nomenclature and numbers used to describe Army dental instruments, other
dental supplies, and equipment should be familiar to the dental specialist so that proper
requisitioning and identification of instruments may be accomplished. Most dental items
are listed on the Universal Data Repository (UDR) (Medical Catalog on CD-Rom) as class
6520 items. Each dental instrument listed has a National Stock Number (NSN) that
begins with the four digits 6520. Each item is also catalogued according to nomenclature,
and many instruments are given individual identifying numbers. For example, a large,
straight chisel is listed as follows:
National Stock Number
Item Interpretation
Unit of Issue
CHISEL, DENTAL,
Each
Black, No. 84
(Straight).
b. Other items of equipment, instruments, and supplies used in the dental clinic
are primarily medical, surgical, or from one of the other supply classes. These are listed
under other classes in the Medical Supply Catalog. The Medical Supply Catalog
nomenclature for each type of instrument discussed in this subcourse is listed in capital
letters in parentheses following the common or colloquial name of the instrument.
MD0503
1-3