A case of 1,000 birch tongue depressors is $63.99, which works out to about 6.4 cents per depressor — and that per-unit number, not the case price, is what a Quebec clinic should budget against. A four-operatory clinic using 30 depressors a day across 250 working days needs 7,500 a year, so seven and a half cases. The birch wood tongue depressors, 1.8 mm, 1,000 per case are a general-purpose examination supply, sold non-sterile.
How many tongue depressors does a clinic use in a year?
Count the room, not the patient list. One depressor per examination is the usual assumption, but throat examinations, two-attempt looks and teaching use push the real figure up by 10 to 20 percent. The table below shows the annual arithmetic at three clinic sizes:
| Clinic profile | Depressors per day | Working days | Annual units | Cases (1,000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single provider | 12 | 250 | 3,000 | 3 |
| Two operatories | 25 | 250 | 6,250 | 6.3 |
| Four operatories | 30 | 250 | 7,500 | 7.5 |
Round up one case for buffer and order on a fixed cycle. Tongue depressors are light and cheap to store, so over-ordering costs almost nothing in space and under-ordering costs a same-day retail purchase at several times the case rate.
What does a case cost per unit in Quebec?
At $63.99 for ten boxes of 100, the unit cost is $0.064. A single box bought at retail counter pricing is typically two to three times that per unit, which is why clinics that buy boxes weekly spend more on this line than clinics that buy cases quarterly. French-language labelling on the box and on the accompanying documentation is often requested by Quebec buyers; if your clinic needs it, state the requirement on the quote so the label is confirmed before the case ships rather than after it arrives.
There is no sterile version of this line in our catalogue, and that is deliberate. A non-sterile wooden depressor is the correct specification for general throat and oral examination. If a supplier offers you a "sterile" wooden depressor, ask for the sterilization method, the validation and the packaging evidence — a claim without that documentation is worth nothing in an audit.
Which specification matters: thickness, edges or material?
Thickness is the first spec. A 1.8 mm birch depressor resists flexing when a patient gags or bites down; thinner sticks snap at the worst moment, and a splintered end in the mouth is an incident report. Edges come second: rounded and smoothed edges matter more than most buyers realise, because a rough edge is the complaint you get from patients. Material comes third: birch is the common choice for a reason — it is straight-grained, low-splinter and holds stiffness at this thickness.
Length and width should match your existing supply so the sticks fit the holder or tray your rooms already use. If you are switching suppliers, order one case and run it for a week before you commit to a standing order; the difference between a good and a poor stick shows up in the hand, not on the spec sheet.
What should a Quebec order confirm before it ships?
Four things, in writing. The unit count per case — 1,000, packed as ten boxes of 100, so your storage and par level are built on the real count. The thickness and edge finish. The labelling language. And the ship-from-warehouse date, as distinct from the order date. Add the lot or production date if your receiving process records it, because a wooden product should be stored dry and rotated oldest-first.
The printable receiving log covers the check-in fields for consumable cases, and the clinic self-check is a quick way to see which consumable par levels are drifting before they run out. Ordering for a clinic, lab or care home? Wholesale and multi-site ordering covers case pricing and account setup, and the B2B wholesale collection lists the institutional lines. For a volume quote on several consumable lines at once, request a bulk quote. Reselling? become a distributor.
Related Reading
- Ordering Exam Table Rolls and Dental Bibs: Par Levels and Case Counts
- Where to Buy Sterile Gauze in Quebec: Case Counts and Price Bands
- Specimen Bag Par Levels for an Independent Laboratory
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tongue depressors are in a case?
One thousand, packed as ten boxes of one hundred. At the current case price of $63.99 that is about 6.4 cents per depressor.
Are these tongue depressors sterile?
No. They are a general-purpose, non-sterile wooden examination supply. Non-sterile is the correct specification for routine throat and oral examination.
What thickness should a clinic order?
1.8 mm birch is the common clinical choice because it resists flexing under a gag reflex. Thinner sticks are more likely to snap during examination.
How often should a clinic reorder?
Quarterly for most clinics, with one case held as buffer. Calculate annual use from daily examinations times working days, then round up.
Last updated: October 2026. CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334).
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