Columbia's Dental College Finds RFID Instrumental

When students attend the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM), they traditionally purchase their own dental instruments for use on patients at the school's dental clinic, and are responsible for ensuring that those tools are not lost. Instruments commonly used include mirrors, probes and explorers, each of which is approximately 6 inches in length, cylindrical and composed mostly of steel. Tracking such items has been a difficult task for students, however, as well as for the clinic, which cleans and sterilizes them. Lost tools must be replaced, something that is costly for both the facility and the students.