Chapter 11 Lab Exercises
Section 16 Dental Biofilms: Detection and Quantification of Plaque
Page 3 Student
Copyright © Alfred B. Cunningham, John E. Lennox, and Rockford J. Ross, Eds. 2001-2010
Dental Biofilms: Detection and Quantification of
Plaque
Supplies Needed:
Quantity |
Description |
1 |
dental plaque disclosing agent such as Trace
Disclosing Tablets |
1 |
Quigley Hein plaque index (given below) |
Instructions:
Chew a Trace Disclosing Tablet
Estimating the amount of plaque
This index evaluates
the plaque revealed on the cheek (buccal) side and the tongue
(lingual) side of the teeth on a scale from 0 - 5 where:
The Quigley Hein plaque index
0 = no plaque
1 = isolated flecks of plaque near the gingival (gum) margin
2 = a 1 mm band of plaque at the gingival margin
3 = up to 1/3 of the surface covered with plaque
4 = disclosed plaque from 1/3 to 2/3 of the surface
5 = disclosed plaque on more than 2/3 of the surface
Illustration:
Permissions
D. Williams, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman
Figure 1. Dental Disclosing Tablets
After chewing a Trace Disclosing Tablet, plaque on teeth can
be easily seen.
Permissions
D. Williams, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman
Figure 2. Teeth showing plaque stained by
tablet
Educational Program Curricula and Teaching Resources
Supported in part by the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology
Developed in collaboration with Dr. John Lennox, Education Editor, Penn State Altoona
© 1999-2008 Center for Biofilm Engineering, http://www.biofilm.montana.edu