Background: An experimental periodontal sensor probe (SP) equipped with an optical fiber for recording function was developed. The aim was to test the intraexaminer reproducibility of probing using the SP and to assess the consistency with the manual probe (MP).
Methods: The SP was assembled with an external sheath covering the probe tip of an MP. The sheath was slid backward by the free gingival margin while probing and the sliding distance was detected by the sensor. The probing was conducted with the walking stroke at six sites for four first molar teeth in six maintenance patients with the SP and the MP at a 1-hour interval. The deepest reading in the vicinity of each site was recorded. The measurements were rerecorded 1 week later.
Results: The mean depth was 3.03 and 3.08 mm recorded by the MP and SP, respectively. Although no significant difference was found between the probes (P >0.05) in all measurement sites, the mean depth at the lingual site of the upper left first molar was noticeably lower with the SP. For sites ≥7 mm, significantly lower depth was recorded by the SP (P <0.05). Zero discrepancy in duplicate measurements was found in 76% of all sites with MP and 92% with SP.
Conclusions: The reproducibility of the SP was comparable to that of the MP. The results indicate that for sites of maintenance patients with probing depth <7 mm there was excellent agreement obtained by a single examiner using the SP compared to the MP.