An accessory for use in aiding an oral surgeon to determine the optimum
position and angle for a dental implant to be installed in a bone
includes a probe assembly having one or more pairs of probe members
pivotally mounted to each other about a pivot axis at their centers. Each
pair of probe members is configured and dimensioned such that one end of
the pair on one side of the pivot axis serves as a probe end to straddle
the bone with their tips contacting the bone at opposed contact points
thereon, and the opposite end of the pair on the opposite side of the
pivot axis serves as a guide end in which the tips of the probe members
are automatically located to indicate the thickness of the bone at the
pair of opposed contact points. Also described are a kit including a
plurality of such accessories, a tool for manually applying such
accessories, and a method of using such accessories for use in
determining the optimum position and angle for a dental implant.