BY ELIZABETH V. HARDERS

Raise your hand if you hate going to the dentist's office. What is it that people dread so much about that twice-yearly visit?

If the image of a shiny silver instrument with a sharp curved hook prodding your teeth and gums comes to mind, help is on the way.

Gayle McCombs, an assistant professor of dental hygiene, is Old Dominion's lead researcher for a new periodontal probe that uses ultrasound technology to measure the depth of the space, or pocket, around a tooth.

Most dentists and dental hygienists use a manual probe, a metal instrument with a fine tip at the end. When this tip is inserted under the gums it measures the pocket depth in millimeters.

The new ultrasound periodontal probe is noninvasive, which means the device is placed on the outside - rather than the inside - of the pocket around the tooth. A stream of water flows through the tip and into the pocket to serve as a conductor for ultrasound. To the patient, this means no poking and no pain.

The traditional manual probe requires the practitioner to place it inside the periodontal space and use his or her tactile sensitivity and visual reading to determine pocket depth. The ultrasound technology is all computerized, which eliminates variations in operator placement and readings.

Practitioners are enthusiastic about the easier-to-use new technology.

John Companion, a College of William and Mary research associate based at Old Dominion's Applied Research Center, began designing the probe in 1992 when he was employed at NASA Langley Research Center. When he moved to academe, NASA allowed him to bring the project with him and continue to develop the technology. NASA retained rights to the probe, but licensed it to a Richmond-based company, Visual Programs.

One of the most important components of bringing new products to the market is clinical testing, and Old Dominion's Dental Hygiene Research Center was selected as the testing site.

Assisting McCombs in the preliminary clinical trials was Michelle Bopp, a graduate student; Margaret Green, an adjunct professor and private practitioner; Ted Lynch, a doctoral candidate from William and Mary; and Adam Friedman of Visual Programs. A NASA film crew recently came to campus to film footage of the project and conduct interviews. When edited, the piece will be broadcast on PBS and the Discovery Channel.

Although the researchers are pleased with the results of the initial set of trials, McCombs is quick to point out that it likely will be some time before dental professionals will be using the new probe on patients.

Good science, McCombs notes, takes time. The long-term goal of the research project is the development of a safe, easy, painless and accurate instrument that will make both patients and practitioners smile.