Should a dental explorer be used to probe suspected carious lesions? Yes--an explorer is a time-tested tool for caries detection.

The caries rate is dropping worldwide, a fact that appears to have no relationship to whether dentists in the affected countries use an explorer to probe suspected carious lesions. Questions have been raised about this procedure on the basis of the purported inaccuracy of its contribution to caries diagnosis, its possible spread of infective plaque from other teeth in the mouth or the damage it can cause to pits and fissures. Longterm randomized clinical trials are necessary in these areas of question, trials that use endpoints that are clear and meaningful to clinical dentists. Until the time comes that facts emerge from acceptable long-term clinical trials, dentists should feel comfortable using the dental explorer to probe suspected carious lesions.