The Design, Development, and Calibration of Cervical Abrasion Index of Treatment Needs Probe for Measurement of Cervical Abrasion

CONTEXT: Although a common dental problem, there are no simple instruments or reliable methods to measure cervical abrasion. AIM: To study the design, development, calibration, efficacy, and compliance of usage of a novel Cervical Abrasion Index of Treatment Need (CAITN) probe to measure cervical abrasion. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The ex-vivo study was conducted as a part of comprehensive study for the development of standardized CAITN probe and index with a standard methodology for recording the abrasion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The compliance and usage of the probe were assessed by a standardized set of questionnaires to the interns followed by an ex-vivo study in 100 subjects. Gold standard comparisons with Vernier caliper, inter-examiner, and intra-examiner reliability were analyzed using SPSS. RESULTS: Data from the questionnaire indicate that 100% of examiners had no difficulty in handling the instrument or measuring and reading the values. Comparison between the CAITN probe and the gold standard was statistically significant indicating a correlation for cervical abrasion measurement between the two methods (p < 0.001). The mean difference between the two measurements using the CAITN probe and gold standard method was calculated with paired t-test and was insignificant (p > 0.05). High statistical significant correlation was also found for intra-examiner and inter-examiner reliability measurement of CAITN probe (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The design and structure of the CAITN probe are standardized with a fair gold standard comparison and that the novel probe can be used as an effective tool to measure the depth of cervical abrasion and its treatment needs.