A new compound curved tapercut needle for oral surgery.

A new compound curved tapercut needle has been designed and developed for oral mucous membrane closure from a unique stainless steel alloy, American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) 45500. This tapercut needle has a short, relatively straight point, followed by a curved distal section. Despite its geometry, it exhibited similar sharpness as well as resistance to bending and breakage, as did the standard tapercut needle with a single radius of curvature manufactured from the same alloy. The design of this new needle enabled the surgeon to pass it through the oral mucous membrane with a greater accuracy to a controlled depth and length of bite than the standard tapercut needle with a single radius of curvature. In addition, the new needle design aids in the suturing of mucous membranes in confined spaces.