An apparatus for measuring the depth of a periodontal pocket comprises a hand held sheath (12) having biasing means (14) and a probe tip assembly (10) associated therewith. The biasing means contacts and biases the probe tip (16) toward one end of the sheath so that the probe tip extends from the sheath. When a measurement is made, the probe tip (10) is pushed into the sheath (12) and the motion of the probe tip is translated through connecting means (14) to a device for measuring the movement of the probe tip. The measuring device is connected with means for automatically record­ing the measurements obtained. A method is also pro­vided in which possible sites for measurement are pre­programmed, and interactive means are provided which permit the operator to choose the sites for measurement from among the preprogrammed sites in any order. A printout may be provided which correlates the measure­ments made with parameters identifying the site chosen for measurement.