Curette

Illustration from a United States patent for an ornate curette (Michelson, 1988)

A curette is a surgical instrument designed for scraping biological tissue or debris in a biopsy, excision, or cleaning procedure. In form, the curette is a small hand tool, often similar in shape to a stylus; at the tip of the curette is a small scoop, hook, or gouge. The verb to curette means to scrape with a curette.

In the performance of an adenoidectomy, a surgeon may view the adenoids using a mirror or endoscope, and then excise the adenoids with a curette.

In periodontics, the edged hook of the periodontal curette scrapes calculus (tartar) deposits from tooth enamel.

Related

• Dilation and curettage
• Ear pick