Overview
EN ISO 9173-2:2010 (Dentistry - Extraction forceps - Part 2: Designation) specifies a global system for the designation of dental extraction forceps. The standard helps clinicians, assistants and manufacturers ensure the correct instrument is ordered, labelled and catalogued by combining a manufacturer pattern number with a standardized functional designation based on jaw, sextant and special use.
The designation format is:
- Designation = pattern number [functional designation]
Pattern numbers reflect the manufacturer's traditional figure (e.g. #210H or #1S) and the functional designation follows ISO 3950 digital designations for teeth and areas of the oral cavity (with guidance on sextants and special uses).
Key Topics
Applications
- Facilitates accurate ordering and procurement by dental clinics and suppliers.
- Standardizes entries in electronic and printed catalogues to reduce confusion between similar instruments from different regions or manufacturers.
- Supports clinical selection by linking pattern numbers to explicit functional uses (jaw, sextant, special use).
- Encourages consistent marking and labelling practices for traceability and inventory management.
Minimum marking and labelling requirements in the standard:
- Instruments must be indelibly marked with the pattern number.
- Primary packaging must be labelled with the pattern number and should include the full designation where feasible.
- Catalogue entries shall include the full designation.
Related Standards
- ISO 9173-1 - General requirements and test methods for extraction forceps (complements Part 2).
- ISO 3950 - Designation system for teeth and areas of the oral cavity (used for functional designators).
- ISO 1942 - Dentistry vocabulary referenced for terms and definitions.
- ISO 3166-1 - Country codes used in designation examples.
This part of ISO 9173 provides practical, harmonized designation rules that improve communication between manufacturers and clinicians and support safe, efficient selection of dental extraction forceps.