How can the whole dental team get involved in the care of a Periodontal Patient?
Written by Dr Dhru Shah and the team at www.dentinaltubules.com - SOURCE: http://dentalangels.wordpress.com/
“The presence of plaque bacteria and the development of a mature bacterial community will lead to development of periodontal disease in a susceptible host” – this statement can sound long and boring, especially when viewed academically. But if it is considered more practically, then all it says is that plaque can cause periodontal disease.
So in this brief article we will discuss , the risk factors of perio disease briefly and what role every member of the dental team has in involving them-selves in the care of a periodontal patient.
So let’s look at this with a few simple questions:
1: Does plaque always cause periodontal disease ?
No not always. It is the identified cause but there is periodontal disease that develops in patients who have the best plaque control in the world But plaque is the cause in most cases
2: What other risk factors have been identified ?
Smoking Systemic disease such as diabetes Genetics maybe
3: Do systemic factors have a role to play?
Smoking does have a role poorly controlled diabetes will have more severe periodontal disease and also respond poorly to treatment There is an association with cardiovascular disease, but cause and effect has not been quantified.
4: What is the role of each member of the dental team in managing a periodontal patient?
Dentist
Monitor/screen patients for the presence of periodontal diseases including the use of relevant radiographs to make a diagnosis and institute a treatment plan with defined therapeutic goals.
Refer patients who require specialist care
Initiate smoking cessation advice and also referral to specialist cessation if patient wishes.
Assess and manage any medical factors as appropriate.
Dental Hygienist
Focus on patient’s oral hygiene and plaque control and provide instructions on how to optimise plaque control.
Initiate supragingival scaling and full mouth debridement as prescribed by the dentist.
Plaque scores at every visit to provide a quantitative method and targets for the patient.
Continue with smoking cessation advice.
Dental Nurse
Dental Surgery Assistants can play a very active role in ensuring patient’s oral hygiene is kept to the optimal. They have options of providing oral hygiene demo, discussing with the patient and reviewing oral hygiene at regular visits.
Dental Nurses can now be trained on oral hygiene courses and diplomas which would free up the Dentist’s and Hygienist’s time to focus on the treatment and cessation aspects.
Calming and relaxing patients during the surgery time.
Dental Receptionist
Getting to know patients and ensure that they have the right appointments at the right times is important. A smooth running practice calms anxious patients.
Talking to the patients in the waiting room and helping them remain calm and relaxed before their appointment.
Sometimes , patients feel more relaxed talking to the reception staff and may reveal information and facts that may be useful to the dentist.
So there you have it, the dental team can make a real team effort in the care of periodontal patient.
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