Root Canal & Caries Locators
3 products
About root canal and caries locators
This type holds two things the store groups together: what locates the end of a canal, and the dyes used to show where carious dentin is. The FDA has a class for a caries detection device, which shows the existence of decay in a tooth by use of electrical current, and classes it as Class II (21 CFR 872.1740). A caries detector dye is a different thing: typically 1 percent acid red in propylene glycol, used to distinguish demineralized dentin from sound tissue during excavation.
Shows where something is rather than how the tooth responds. Published studies disagree about the dyes: some report that they overstain and lead to unnecessary removal of sound dentin, others that without them carious tissue goes undiagnosed.
Sources: FDA 21 CFR 872.1740, Caries detection device · Iglesias-Poveda et al. 2025, Caries detector dyes and laser fluorescence systems: a scoping review (Front Dent Med)