Dimensions of Dental Hygiene - Reconnecting Practicing Hygienists with the Nation's Leading Educators and Researchers.

Identifying and treating patients with periodontal disease is an important component of dental and dental hygiene practice.

Successful instrumentation of first molar teeth is integral toachieving and maintaining periodontal health.

Oral health professionals need to be aware of the risks posed by dental aerosols in order to reduce the risk of disease transmission before, during, and after patient care.

In conjunction with scaling and root planing, antibiotics and antimicrobials can be effective additions to the periodontal therapy armamentarium.

Many floss alternatives are available that may help improve compliance and outcomes.

Memorizing the anatomy and proper instrument selection are key to successful scaling of this part of the dentition.

Dental hygienists are key to personalized, evidence-based caries prevention, which involves a thorough and comprehensive assessment of individual risk indicators and factors, detection and diagnosis of carious lesions, and acknowledgement…

Effective ultrasonic instrumentation for these teeth depends on the clinician's knowledge of tooth anatomy, ultrasonic insert/tip designs, and technique.

Choosing the most appropriate ultrasonic inserts/tips for the task at hand is integral to effective ultrasonic instrumentation of this area of the dentition.

Treating the dental unit water, flushing the air/waterlines between patients, regular testing of water quality, and following all manufacturer instructions will help dental practices effectively maintain their dental unit waterlines.