Choosing nitrile exam gloves for a dental practice

Updated October 19, 2026

Gloves are the consumable a practice goes through fastest, and most boxes look the same. This guide explains what the printing on the box means, which differences matter chairside, and how to compare prices fairly. It is about non-sterile examination gloves, the ones used for routine patient care; sterile surgical gloves are a separate product with their own standard.

Why nitrile

Nitrile is a synthetic rubber, so it contains none of the natural rubber latex proteins that cause latex allergy in some patients and staff. That is the main reason most practices have moved to it. Nitrile also tends to resist punctures and many chemicals better than vinyl. Latex gloves are still sold, and we carry powder-free latex exam gloves for practices that prefer the fit, but an office with even one latex-allergic patient or team member usually standardizes on nitrile.

Every glove we list is powder-free. The FDA banned powdered surgeon's gloves and powdered patient examination gloves in the United States in 2016, so a powdered exam glove should not be on the market at all.

What the standard on the box means

Nitrile examination gloves sold in the US are made to ASTM D6319, the standard specification for nitrile examination gloves for medical application. It sets minimum dimensions, tensile strength and elongation before and after accelerated aging, a limit on residual powder, and a freedom-from-holes requirement. In FDA clearance summaries for nitrile exam gloves, the pinhole test is commonly run to an acceptable quality level (AQL) of 2.5, which is a sampling standard: it limits how many defective gloves a production lot may contain when samples are tested, it does not promise that no glove ever has a hole. A lower AQL number is a tighter limit, and some makers print it on the box.

Patient examination gloves are medical devices, regulated by the FDA under 21 CFR 880.6250. A box labeled "exam" or "examination" with the standard printed on it is what a dental practice should be using, rather than general-purpose or food-service gloves.

One thing the exam glove standard does not cover is chemical permeation: how long a given chemical takes to pass through the glove. That is tested separately (ASTM F739). If staff handle a specific chemical for long periods, the glove maker's permeation data is the place to look.

Thickness, in mil

Thickness is usually printed in mil, thousandths of an inch (1 mil is 0.0254 mm), and measured at the fingertip, sometimes also at the palm. A thinner glove gives better tactile feel and less hand fatigue; a thicker one tolerates more abrasion and snagging. For routine exams and most chairside work, a standard-weight exam glove is the usual choice; heavier gloves are worth considering for tasks with more abrasion or chemical handling, such as instrument processing, where utility gloves are the norm anyway. When a box states its thickness, compare at the same measuring point: a fingertip figure and a palm figure are not the same number.

Grip, color and fit

Textured fingertips help when gloves are wet, which is most of the time chairside. Freehand nitrile exam gloves are made with textured fingertips for wet or dry grip. Color is mostly preference, though a color that contrasts with blood and tissue makes a torn glove easier to see.

Sizes are not the same from one maker to the next. A medium from one brand can fit like a small or a large from another. Before switching a whole office, order one box of each size you think you need and let each person try them through a full day. Gloves that are too tight tire the hands and tear at the cuff; gloves that are too loose bunch at the fingertips and catch on instruments.

Use, change and store

CDC guidance for dental settings is to wear a new pair of gloves for each patient, remove them promptly after use, and perform hand hygiene before putting gloves on and after taking them off. Gloves should not be washed, disinfected or sterilized for reuse; washing can cause tiny holes that are not visible. Change gloves during a long procedure if they are torn, cut or punctured.

Store boxes as the label directs, generally away from heat and direct sunlight, and use older stock first. A case kept above a sterilizer or in a hot car will age faster than the date on the box suggests.

Compare the price per glove

Glove prices are easiest to compare per glove, because boxes hold 100, 200, 250 or 300. Our catalog shows that figure on every row. A few current examples:

The cheapest glove per unit is not automatically the cheapest glove in use. If a thinner glove tears often enough that staff double-glove or change mid-procedure, the box of 100 lasts a shorter time. Run a new glove for a couple of weeks, count how many boxes you went through, and compare that with what you used before.

A short checklist

All the gloves we carry are in Infection Control. For how ordering works here, see ordering without a rep.