Dentaltown June 2014 - (Page 90)

hygiene and prevention perio reports Is Dental Disease Preventable; What Do People Believe? It's a simple yes or no question-are caries and periodontal disease preventable? According to the research, dental disease is preventable. Oral hygiene instructions given by dental hygienists focuses on prevention, but do clinicians and the general public really believe dental disease is preventable? One dental hygienist was convinced that dental disease was preventable and that with the flood of health information today and the detailed instructions of dental hygienists, patients and the public would surely agree. Several groups were asked individually the yes or no question. While traveling internationally from California to Hong Kong and then to Thailand, the question was asked of fellow business class travelers, airline personnel and others encoun- tered over a two-week period. A simply tally was kept. Of a total of 60 people, 45 people or 75 percent responded, no, dental disease is not preventable. Back in the U.S., the hygienist set up a blind tally approach to patients in two dental practices. Patients were invited to mark a slip of paper either yes or no and place it in a ballot box. In a practice where the RDH had worked for 10 years and provided extensive oral hygiene instructions and education, 47 out of 60 (78 percent) circled no. In another practice in a more rural area, 54 out of 55 patients (98 percent) responded no. In a small group of five dental hygienists, five out of five said no, citing risk factors and genetics as reasons. Perio Reports Vol. 26, No. 6 Perio Reports provides easy-to-read research summaries on topics of specific interest to clinicians. Perio Reports research summaries will be included in each issue to keep you on the cutting edge of dental hygiene science. Clinical Implications: It's an interesting question to answer yourself and ask your family, friends, colleagues and patients what they believe. ■ Gordon, A.: Is Dental Disease Preventable or Inevitable? OHU Action Research 9A13, 2014. www.hygienetown.com Oral Health Coaching via the Internet According to the research, patients remember only 40-80 percent of what they are told in a clinical setting and 50 percent of what is remembered is incorrect. Much of what dental hygienists provide patients as oral hygiene instructions is actually coaching. Many forms of coaching are popular today, including athletic, academic, leadership, management and life coaching. With each comes a price tag and the expectation of improvement of some sort. Oral health coaching in the traditional dental office setting is generally cut short because of time and the coaching is offered free of charge or included in the DH visit fee. To achieve better oral health for her child patients and to take more time to coach and educate, one RDH offered the parents of these patients online coaching from their own home. Three questions were asked of the parents pre- and postvideo coaching. The questions were: 1. Do your children brush their teeth regularly? 2. Do your children understand tooth decay? and 3. Do your children think tooth decay is preventable? Nine children from four families participated in four coaching sessions. The first covered dry toothbrushing, the second xylitol, the third bacterial biofilm and the caries process and the fourth reviewed all topics and techniques. Each session was 15 to 20 minutes. The children seemed interested and engaged in the four coaching sessions and topics. Pre-coaching, six believed tooth decay was not preventable, none of them knew how a cavity formed and only one brushed regularly. Post-coaching, nine believed tooth decay was preventable, seven knew the cause of tooth decay and all nine brushed regularly. Clinical Implications: Technology provides new ways to share oral health information and coaching. ■ Parton, S.: Oral Health Coaching. OHU Action Research 9A-13, 2014. 90 JUNE 2014 » dentaltown.com http://www.hygienetown.com http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown June 2014

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks
Professional Courtesy
Continuing Education Update
Insurance Changes--Buyer Beware (and Be informed)
The Art of Hand Filing
The Value of Magnification, Documentation and Ergonomics
Currently In-network with a Lot of Plans
High Tech, Low Overhead
Second Opinion: What Exactly is Modern Endodontics?
Patency and Profound Anesthesia
Eliminating the Ding of Endodontics
You Should Know: EdgeEndo
Improved Dentistry through Advanced Digital Radiography
Black and White: Diagnosing Doesn’t Have to be Gray Area
Ways to Make the Internet Your Best Source for New Patients
Digital Microscopy
You Should Know: Dentyzion
Poll: Implants
Function Meets Aesthetics: Advanced Materials for Posterior Restorations
Disability Insurance, Another Look…
Inside United Concordia
Ad Index
Perio Reports
Excuse Me, I’m Talking Here
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown June 2014