Tongue depressors

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Examination of the oral cavity and the pharynx with a wooden mouth spatula

A tongue depressor , also called mouth and tongue depressor or smear spatula , is usually a wooden plate with which the patient's tongue is pressed down in order to be able to look better into the throat and throat area. This is usually intended for single use; but there are also plastic models and versions for surgical purposes. The tongue depressor is classified as a medical product according to Directive 93/42 / EEC. There are also sterile versions that are sterilized using ETO gas .

The standard length is 15 cm, the width around 17–20 mm and the thickness (with wooden tongue depressors) around 1.5 mm. Tongue blades are rounded at both ends, have a smooth surface, are splinter-free and break-resistant.

Metal and wooden tongue depressors

The main disadvantage of solid tongue depressors is that they are used when small pathological changes in the examination area are covered and thus not perceived. This deficiency can be partially compensated for by using mouth spatulas with breakthrough work.

Visually, the tongue depressor is reminiscent of a slightly wider popsicle stick. Wooden spatulas are also used for other purposes, for example for handicrafts, for playing and learning (e.g. for so-called “stick bombs”), for applying chemicals at the hairdresser's and as a splint in veterinary medicine .

Ayre smear spatulas have a different shape and are used in gynecology .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b wooden tongue depressor 150 x 20 mm. Retrieved August 4, 2018 .
  2. ^ Carl Emmert: Textbook of surgery: Textbook of general surgery . Franckh, 1850, p. 74 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  3. ↑ Dietmar Kirchberg: The Medical Devices Act: What nurses need to know . Schlütersche, 2003, ISBN 3-87706-878-2 , p. 32 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  4. ↑ a b Rotilabo®: Lactan GmbH & Co KG - Laboratory Catalog - Rotilabo® tongue depressors , accessed on May 21, 2014
  5. ↑ a b INTERMED | INTERMED wooden tongue depressors. Retrieved August 4, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Wooden tongue depressors 150 x 18 x 1.5 mm from Unigloves, wooden spatulas, wax spatulas, tongue depressors. Retrieved August 4, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Tobias Beck, Daniela Bernlöhr, Georg Däges, Manuel Vogel: Research in school. (PDF; 2.82 MB) Experiments for budding researchers. Student Research Center Südwürttemberg (SFZ) eV, April 16, 2018, pp. 16–23 , accessed on August 4, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Leica Biosystems: Cervical Smear Blade , accessed May 21, 2014