Health and Wellness Flashcards
(40 cards)
What are dental hygienists?
1 - Licensed primary healthcare provider
2 - Oral health educator
3 - Clinician providing preventive, educational and therapeutic services, for the total health of a patient, in control of oral diseases and for oral health promotion
Professional roles of the DH
1 - clinician 2 - educator 3 - researcher 4 - administrator/manager 5 - advocates
What are the 3 main focuses of today’s healthcare system?
- Disease treatment
- Disease prevention
- Health Promotion
What are the 3 levels of preventive measures?
- Primary - stop the onset of disease
- Secondary - stop the progression of the disease in early asymptomatic stages
- Tertiary - prevent disability, restore function and prevent further deterioration
4 Elements of health field concept
- Human biology - basic human biology which includes physical and mental health
- Environment - everything external to our body
- Lifestyle - individual decisions
- Health care organization - quantity, quality and administration of our health care system
What are the 4 factors that the Health Belief Model theorizes will make individuals take preventive action?
- They are susceptible to the condition
- The condition has serious consequences
- They can take actions/interventions that will benefit them in reducing the severity or susceptibility to the disease
- The benefits outweigh the perceived barriers such as time, cost or other negatives
What strategies can health professionals use to promote health?
- Health education
- Collaboration
- Mass media, community organizations
- Advocacy and legislation
What are 2 infectious diseases in dentistry and what is the culprit in both?
Dental caries and gingivitis/periodontal disease Bacterial plaque (dental biofilm) is the cause for both, and control or elimination of biofilm will discontinue the disease process. Other factors can also influence the severity of the disease
What are dental caries?
Bacterial disease that causes tooth decay
What are the equations for caries?
Bacteria/biofilm + sugar = acid
Acid + tooth + time = decay/cavity
What are the 2 groups of bacteria found in the mouth that are responsible for dental caries?
- Mutans streptococci
- Lactobacilli
What 3 factors must occur at the same time in order for a cavity to develop?
- A susceptible tooth
- Diet rich in fermentable carbohydrates (sugars)
- Specific bacteria/biofilm (regardless of the other factors, caries cannot occur without bacteria)
How long do acid attacks last?
About 20 minutes, but pH doesn’t return to normal for about an hour
What is the critical pH for enamel demineralization?
4.5-5.5 pH
What is the critical pH for cementum demineralization on the root?
6.0-6.7 pH
Areas for development of caries
- Pit and fissure caries (primarily on the occlusal surfaces and buccal and lingual grooves of posterior teeth, also lingual pits of maxillary incisors)
- Smooth surface (caries occurring on intact enamel other than pits and tissues ie interproximal cervical areas)
- Root surface (caries occurring on any surface of the root)
- Secondary or recurrent (caries occurring on tooth surrounding a filling)
What are the stages of caries developments?
- Demineralization - dissolving of calcium and phosphate from hydroxyapatite crystals
- Remineralization (cycle between the 2) - calcium and phosphate being redeposited
- Incipient lesion - earliest stages when caries begins to demineralize the enamel
- Overt - characterized by cavitation (the development of a cavity or hole in the tooth)
- Rampant - time between the onset of the incipient lesion and the development of the cavity is rapid and there are multiple lesions throughout the mouth
What are early childhood caries?
Caries found in children commonly caused by leaving a child alone with a bottle containing sweet liquid at bed time (sugars feed the biofilm which will eventually cause caries). Prolonged at will breastfeeding can also be a cause
Education for ECC
Educate parents early:
- keep your mouths in good oral health
- clean infant’s mouth daily, teeth or no teeth (rub child’s gums so they are more cooperative when teeth grow in)
- no bottles at bed unless water
- seek dental visits early
Formation of root caries
Often found in the elderly, form more quickly on root surfaces than coronal surfaces because the cementum is weaker than enamel.
- Gingival recession exposes the root
- Caries starts near the CEJ
- Enamel is not involved except by extension or undermining (spreading)
Secondary or recurrent caries
Form in the spaces between the tooth and the margins of a restoration.
What are the 3 roles of saliva?
- Physical protection: provides a cleansing effect. More watery saliva is more effective in clearing carbs than thick, viscous saliva
- Chemical protection: contains calcium, phosphorus and fluoride. Keeps calcium ready to be used during remineralization, other chemicals often used to neutralize acids after ingesting fermentable carbs
- Antibacterial: substances in saliva work against bacteria
What is the dental term for dry mouth?
Xerostomia
How can we diagnose caries? (4 ways)
- Detectable explorer “stick”
- Radiographs
- Visual
- Laser caries detector
