Historical Perspectives III
The DG 16 Explorer
James L. Gutmann DDS, Cert Endo, PhD (honoris causa), FICD, FACD, FADI, FAHD,
Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University, Baylor College of Dentistry
Many clinicians have used hand
instruments that bear a wide variety of
alpha or alphanumeric designations, such
as a Michigan Probe, DP 2 Dressing Pliers,
SRPG11/129 Curette, AB 1 Boghosian,
or RCSD11T Spreader. Most clinicians
have no interest in the name of these
instruments, as long as they provide the
necessary support for the task at hand. In
the inquisitive mind, however, one might
wonder how some of these instruments
got their names. Needless to say, some
designations are intuitive, such as the
Glick #1 plastic instrument named after
Dr. Dudley Glick, a famous Southern
Califonian endodontist; other name
origins are not so intuitive. For example,
within the scope of contemporary
Endodontics, the DG 16 endodontic
explorer is the global standard for
thousands of clinicians… but asking those
110
Diplomate, American Board of Endodontics
Dallas, Texas
thousands what the DG stands for might
create a fair amount of consternation,
without a correct answer. While many
might suggest that the DG stands for
Dudley Glick, they would be wrong. The
DG 16 was designed by Dr. David Green
in 1951, who was from upstate New York.
The instrument was designed in its present
form because a straight explorer and a
cowhorn (#23) explorer did not enable the
endodontist to locate a vast majority of
canal orifices, especially in the posterior
teeth. Additionally, it enabled the clinician
to better determine the angle of the canal
orifice as the canal exits apically from the
chamber. It ultimately was manufactured
in three forms: a DG 16, a DG 16/17 and a
DG 16/23, each having a specific function
that enabled the successful performance
of both non-surgical and surgical
endodontic procedures.
Correspondence:
Dr. James L. Gutmann
3212 Basil Court
Dallas, TX 75204-5543
Email: jlg@histden.org
Tel: 214-449-4424
Journal of the History of Dentistry/Vol. 62, No. 3 Winter 2014