Contents

Improve Your Explorer Technique

Detecting subgingival calculus deposits is key to ensuring periodontal health. By Donna Smith, BSDH, MSEd, RDHAP

Strategies to Ensure Successful Sealant Placement

A new technique aims to obtain the cleanest pits and fissures possible, improving sealant effectiveness. By Van B. Haywood, DMD, Kim L. Capehart, DDS, PhD, MBA, Jeril R. Cooper, III, DMD

Supporting Good Nutrition in Children

Oral health professionals can help ensure a lifetime of oral health by educating children and families about the importance of diet during the developmental years. By Kevin J. Donly, DDS, MS

Treating Kids With Trisomy 21

Following are strategies for supporting oral health and ensuring positive dental experiences in this patient population. By Kathie Wang, DDS

Behavioral Management in Pediatric Patients

Effectively managing our youngest patients and assessing their caries risk get children on the path toward lifelong oral health. By Beau D. Meyer, DDS, MPH

Caring for Children With Sensory Processing Disorders

Understanding these neurodevelopmental disorders will help oral health professionals provide safe and effective care. By Deborah Dotson, RDH, PhD, Michelle Johnson, PhD, RDN, LDN, Christy Isbell, PhD, OTR/L

The Manifestations of Lyme Disease

This often misdiagnosed tick-borne disease produces oral signs and symptoms detectable in the dental setting. By Olga Gnatovych, RDH, MEd, Victoria M. Benvenuto, RDH, EdM

Helping All Children Smile

National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) naturally focuses our attention on the oral health of our youngest patients. By Jill Rethman, RDH, BA

What Is the Life of Magnetostrictive Inserts and Piezoelectric Tips?

Knowing when it’s time to replace ultrasonic inserts/tips is integral to successful instrumentation. By Kathleen O. Hodges, RDH, MS

February 2020 Marketplace For Dental Hygienists

A listing of featured products. By The Editors

Researchers Seek to Improve Methods Used to Assess Children’s Pain

Working under a 5-year National Institutes of Health grant, researchers at the University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle are seeking to improve how oral health professionals measure pediatric patients’ pain. By The Editors

February 2020 Digital Agenda

Digital Agenda covers all that’s happening under Dimensions’ social media platforms. By The Editors

Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Offers Hope for Chronic Pain

Researchers have taken the drug aprepitant—which is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration but previously failed in clinical trials for pain—and repackaged it using a novel, nano-based technology to deliver the drug into specific compartments of nerve cells. By The Editors

Cost Remains Barrier to Dental Care Access

As the connection between oral and overall health becomes more clear, patients are increasingly motivated to achieve and maintain good oral health. By The Editors

New Corporate Council Member Joins Dimensions

Dimensions of Dental Hygiene welcomes Beth Jordan, RDH, MS, a representative of Crest & Oral B, Procter & Gamble Professional Oral Health, to its Corporate Council. By The Editors

Changes to Supervision Requirements May Ease Access-To-Care Problems in Rural NC

Rural North Carolina has a significant access-to-oral-health-care problem with three counties—Camden, Hyde, and Tyrrell—without a practicing dentist for more than 10 years, and more than 50 counties with noted dentist shortages. By The Editors

Dimensions Welcomes Expert on Instrumentation

Dimensions of Dental Hygiene is pleased to welcome Kathleen O. Hodges, RDH, MS, as the new instrumentation expert for its “Ask the Expert” online forum. By The Editors

February 2020 Top Brand Ambassadors

Each month, Newsline features some of our most active Dimensions of Dental Hygiene Brand Ambassadors. By The Editors

February 2020 Social Commentary

Do you see expanding opportunities for dental hygienists in your area? By The Editors