Pain Management in Dentistry

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has defined pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. The most common dental complaint is pain, accounting for more than 80%of all dental visits. Pain diminishes the quality of life for many people, although it also may be a vital teacher or a warning message to be heeded. How humans process pain is a complicated, individualized process affected by genetics, personality, life experiences and straight forward physiological process

Make a (Mission) Statement

Ethics are standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do; principles such as veracity, courage, integrity, forthrightness, consistency, creativity, humility, altruism, quality, accountability, excellence, compassion, innovation, social justice, wisdom, kindness, trust, balance and fairness. Creating a mission statement offers one the opportunity to establish which principles are most important and helps reinforce them when tested

My preferred pronoun is she: Understanding transgender identity and oral health care needs

This literature review summarizes current research and evidence regarding transgender persons and oral health. Methods: A search of the literature was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCO Host, Science Direct, and Wiley Online Library using the keywords transgender identity, gender non-conforming, discrimination, transition, binary systems, transgender oral cavity, transgender, transgender oral health, transgender dental health. Articles published from 2000 to 2017 in both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed journals, which reported information regarding the oral health status of transgender populations, were selected for review. Results: The search revealed 18 articles, only 7 of which pertained to the oral health status of transgender client populations. Five other articles were eliminated due to either poor quality or irrelevance. Discussion: The 13 articles included in the review revealed a need for oral health care professionals to be aware that gender is not binary, nor is it a mental health disorder. Transgender people face heightened risk of discrimination, violence, anxiety, depression, suicidality, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as significant barriers to health care of which oral health professionals should be made aware. Conclusions: Transgender people have the same rights as everyone else to oral health care. Oral health care providers are responsible for ensuring that transgender clients receive care that aligns with their needs and for providing that care in a culturally competent manner. This requires an understanding of the basics of gender nonconformance and its impact on oral-systemic health. Additional research is needed to increase the scientific knowledge base to facilitate improved health outcomes for this client population

Implementing a Minimally Invasive Approach

The World Health Organization notes that 60% to 90% of children and nearly 100% of adults have a history of dental caries. The caries process begins with the action of organic acids, which are produced by bacteria found in organized dental plaque via the anaerobic metabolism of dietary sugars. When this dental plaque goes undisturbed, organic acids may initiate the early stages of demineralization. Demineralization gradually weakens the tooth structure, making it more susceptible to plaque formation and demineralization. Remineralization is the process by which the damage to these surfaces is repaired by replacing surface minerals utilizing therapies such as fluoride, casein phosphopeptide, calcium phosphate and, even, eggshells. An evidence-based approach must be taken when evaluating the effects of these products

Precision Dentistry in Practice

A paradigm shift is necessary to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. Precision medicine and precision dentistry may be able to shift the burden of disease and improve the nation’s oral and overall health

Utilizing Dental Hygienists to Improve Health Outcomes in Long-Term Care

Poor oral health practices contribute to negative health outcomes for residents of long-term care facilities. The abundance of current information on the oral–systemic connection underscores the need for improved oral hygiene among all citizens but specifically for older adults, who face challenges for self-care due to sensory, mobility, endurance and cognitive deficits. Dental hygienists are oral disease prevention specialists and are trained to perform dental procedures that significantly improve a person’s oral health. Dental hygienists are legally permitted to provide many oral healthcare services to residents of long-term care facilities independent of dentist supervision or in collaborative agreements with dentists. Models of collaboration between long-term care facilities and dental hygienists have proven efficacious in enhancing overall health outcomes for residents

In Her Own Words: Make a (Mission) Statement

Creating a personal mission statement will allow faculty to remain focused on what their core purpose is. Remaining focused on this purpose will facilitate career growth and personal happiness

Strategies for Improving Patient Compliance

Patient compliance is the degree to which a person adheres to the professional advice healthcare providers offer. Aside from significantly compromising a person’s health, non-compliance also wastes resources and productivity. The monetary costs of medical noncompliance has been estimated to be around $300 billion a year. Demographic, disease severity and gender effects on compliance are small. In dental hygiene, where practitioners focus on the prevention of oral disease, motivating patients to practice healthy behaviors has long been a challenging, and often frustrating, aspect of practice. Any discussion of compliance must begin with a brief review of human development and the factors which shape our personalities. Once we recognize the conscious and unconscious forces which control human behavior we can better understand the motivation behind our patient’s actions. Or, more often, their inactions

The expert advice: Dental patient compliance hinges on effective communication strategies

Most dental hygienists would agree that motivating patients to adopt good oral health behaviors-often referred to as compliance-is the most challenging aspect of practice. This critical component of patient care is not unique to dentistry and dental hygiene. In 2010, the costs of health care in the United States exceeded $2.7 trillion with between$100 and $300 billion of avoidable health-care costs [attributable] to nonadherence in the US annually. 1 Nonadherence (a term used in the medical literature, which is synonymous with noncompliance) is associated with progression of disease and, subsequently, poor health outcomes resulting in an additional burden of billions per year in avoidable health-care costs. Patient compliance is a multifaceted issue that is influenced by many factors. As oral health researchers continue to provide scientific evidence to further the connection between oral and systemic health, it has never been more important for dental hygienists, as disease prevention specialists, to adopt techniques that can improve communication and patient compliance