Tiffanie McKee
Dental Hygiene Diagnosis
Hiwassee College
Dental Hygiene Diagnosis
A dental hygiene diagnosis is used to identify areas of deficit that need attention. It is important to use critical thinking in order to develop a dental hygiene diagnosis within the scope of practice of dental hygiene. The dental hygiene diagnosis is based on the assessment of data from the medical history, dental chart, radiographs, periodontal chart, and twelve page assessment about the patient's dental hygiene care needs. These findings are important in order to plan and implement an effective dental hygiene treatment plan.
The medical history is used to guide the treatment for any contraindications, medical concerns, and side effects
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Certain prescription medications can cause oral side effects that can help in assessing the needs of that specific patient. The link between excessive bleeding and aspirin is diagnosed due to the medical history of the patient and the side effect associated with aspirin. The diagnosis of gingival overgrowth is due to the observation of the gingiva and the link between gingival overgrowth and a medication such as phenytoin. A patient experiencing a lack of saliva flow from the parotid gland can imply that the patient has xerostomia due to the medication albuterol listed on their medical …show more content…
For example, a patient that does not live in a fluoridated community, has previous caries, and signs of xerostomia would be diagnosed as a high risk for caries. Another example, a patient that uses tobacco would be diagnosed as a high risk for oral cancer. The periodontal risk assessment is used to determine the risk factor for periodontal disease based on the findings during the assessment. For example, if a patient has irregular visits to a dentist, lack of brushing and flossing, and has signs of xerostomia the patient would be diagnosed as a high risk for periodontal
When deciding whether or not to give a medication to a patient, many things must be taken into account. These conditions are known as indications. The indications for a medication include the most common uses of the drug in treating a specific condition (10). Another thing to be considered are contraindications, which are conditions where the drug should not be given. Contraindications are situations in which the drug should not be administered because of the potential harm that could be caused to the patient (10). The dosage is also important. The dose simply indicates how much of the drug should be given to the patient (10). The actions of the drug must always also be taken into account. The actions are the therapeutic effects the drug will have (10). Side effects of the medications must also be considered. Side effects are actions that are not desired and occur in addition to the desired therapeutic effects. Some side effects are unpredictable (10).
My assigned role was dental hygienist as an educator. As clinical dental hygienist, educating my patients to perform proper oral home care, explaining disease processes that effecting them, and recommend appropriate oral health care products just as important as providing hygiene treatments. Individual homecare instructions depend on many factor such as age of patient, physical and mental ability, number of visits they had with me, and the results of oral exam. As part of my routine, I assess the changes that patient had made since their last visit. Most of them give me an honest report. However, when it is inconsistent with what I am seeing at the oral exam (evidence of calculus, plaque, food impaction, no improvement in inflammation), I begin
A vocation as a dental hygienist offers an extensive variety of difficulties. In the dental office, the dental specialist and the dental hygienist cooperate to meet the oral wellbeing needs of patients. Since every state has its own particular regulations with respect to their obligations, the scope of administrations performed by hygienists shifts from state to state. A percentage of the administrations gave by dental hygienists might include: quiet screening strategies, for example, evaluation of oral wellbeing conditions, audit of the wellbeing history, oral tumor screening, head and neck investigation, dental graphing and taking circulatory strain and beat taking and creating dental radiographs (x-beams) evacuating math and plaque (hard
Any of these indications may flag a significant issue, which ought to be checked by a dental practitioner. At your dental visit: The dental specialist will get some information about your medicinal history to recognize fundamental conditions or hazard elements, (for example, smoking) that may add to periodontal illness. The dental practitioner or hygienist will inspect your gums and note any indications of irritation. The dental specialist or hygienist will utilize a little ruler called a "test" to check for periodontal pockets and to gauge any pockets. In a sound mouth, the profundity of these pockets is more often than not somewhere around 1 and 3 millimeters. The dental practitioner or hygienist may take a X-beam to see whether there is any bone misfortune, and
For a dental hygienist, each patient is different because each one has different main concerns. Therefore, the hygienist must create a process of care to meet those needs. The dental hygiene process of care is a five-step process that will allow the patient to receive the most comprehensive care as if the patient is the most important person in the hygienist’s life. I will use my most important person, my mother, to outline the dental hygiene process of care to address her main concern, dry mouth.
In the first case study, the public health dental hygienist is responsible for evaluating the daily fluoridation test that is submitted by each state to make sure it is in the optimal range 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011) She is also responsible for working with the state if the test results do not measure up the standards set forth by the CDC. In addition the dental hygienist reports all of these results to Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) so the CDC can determine a national average. This case study shows the “assessment” part of the essential public health services.
Overall the patient had excellent homecare and was a Calculus Level One. There weren’t any risk factors discussed with this patient, but her concern about the throbbing in her upper jaw was addressed. Her general goal of the appointment was to keep her plaque score the same or lower since she was at 14%. She was a Periodontal Case Type Two based on the bleeding from probing, bone loss, and previous radiographs. The patient said she has been flossing more and is really trying to maintain her plaque score.
If a medical condition runs in your family, then you need to let your dentist know about this. Having a family history of a certain condition can put you at risk for it. Additionally, if dental problems run in your family, then you are at a greater risk for developing them.
Dental hygienist focuses on oral health. They clean the patient’s teeth, tell them how they can improve their oral health, and tell the patient about any oral disease that they have or can possibly happen from poor oral hygiene. To become a Dental Hygienist you have to graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program and have a license in the state they have practiced. It takes 2-6 years to become a Dental Hygienist, they make an average salary of $55.307 annually. The dental hygienist work in many places such as: private dental practice, community health centers, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, practice clinics, schools and state/federal government services.
As dental hygienists we are members of the healthcare community. That means that we have an extremely important role when it comes to the health of our patients. When patients present themselves in our treatment room, it is our responsibility to make sure we do not leave anything unexamined. We are professionals in the practice of identifying, preventing, and treating oral diseases. We do this by completing thorough extraoral and intraoral exams and being conscious of what to look for. One particular exam that we do is an oral cancer exam. As dental hygienists we are at the forefront in identifying this disease. In an article written by Nancy Burkhart, a coauthor of General and Oral Pathology for the Dental Hygienist, she states, “It is known that oral cancer is more likely to be detected in an early stage in the dental office than those found at a physician’s office, which tend to be at a later stage.” (Burkhart, 2014) This may be because dental hygienists focus more on the oral tissues than physicians do; or the fact that patients go to a doctor when it is already at advanced stages. It is imperative that we as dental hygienists know the signs and symptoms of oral cancer, as well as the risk factors involved in developing the disease and how it can be prevented. While it is important as a dental hygienist to identify oral diseases, it is more important to educate our patients on how they can avoid any potential abnormalities from becoming severe problems,
better the process and the causes of periodontal disease ( I talked to the patient
Like I mentioned above patients can get xerostomia, thrush, and burning mouth or tongue. As a Dental Hygienists, it is your responsibility to maintain the periodontal disease and educate your patients.
Dental hygienists examine for signs of abnormalities oral diseases, for example decay or gingivitis, then they will provide treatment if necessary. They play an important role in evaluate patients’ oral health and interpret findings for the dentists. Also, Dental Hygienists educate patients how to keep their oral healthy. It is obvious that Dental Hygienists have to work by hands all the time; therefore, they are required to keep their hand totally clean and get them sterilized before and after each patients. They have to wear protection tools including safety glasses, masks, and gloves to prevent infection for themselves and patients (Bureau of Labor
Infection control is a central concept to every practice of health care providers. Its main objective is to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases from both patients and health personnel (Martin et al., 2010). In dental clinic, infection control is a continuous concern for its professionals. They have to contact patients routinely and be exposed to their blood, saliva, dental plaque and pus that may contain infectious pathogens. It is important for the dental professionals to treat these fluids as if they are infectious and special precautions must be taken to handle them. In this essay, I will highlight the scope of infection control practices in dental clinics and the ways through which infectious microorganisms are transmitted
From a very early age, I had a natural affinity for teeth. I wanted to know how they form, and differ in other individuals. As a toddler, I would grab hold of the staff’s teeth at my local daycare and attempt my own version of a dental inspection. It came quite apparent to my mother that either I had a serious fetish or I was finding a passion for a future profession. Even though my mother loved my curious personality, she wanted me to understand that there are boundaries that I must adhere too. Over time, I stopped playing with stranger’s mouths and started using my hands for more important duties. On Saturdays, after soccer practice, my father would drive us to food banks to volunteer our time. During my time as a volunteer, I did such activities such as feeding the homeless, packing boxes of food for families in need, and assisting the building of homes with habitat humanity. Thankfully, I could continue my development as a community leader throughout college and adulthood.