Preventive Dentistry Exam - Questions and Answers

Preventive Dentistry Exam - Questions and Answers What is the goal of preventive dentistry? To help people of all ages attain optimal oral health throughout their lives. How will the dental professionals help achieve this goal? By working together with their patients to prevent new and recurring diseases. What is responsible for dental disease, including caries and periodontal disease? Various types of bacteria found in dental plaque. Describe the partnership that must exist between the patient and the dental health care team to prevent dental disease. You must first help patients understand what causes dental disease and how to prevent it. You must then motivate patients to change their behaviors and become partners in recognizing and preventing dental disease in themselves and their families. What does a comprehensive preventive dentistry program include? Patient education, use of fluorides, application of dental sealants, proper nutrition, and a plaque control program. Describe nutrition as a component of a comprehensive preventive dentistry program. Should provide dietary counseling that extends beyond the narrow scope of limiting sugar consumption and may include a discussion of nutrition from the standpoint of oral health and general health. Describe patient education as a component of a comprehensive preventive dentistry program. Should motivate patients, provide them with information, and assist them in developing the skills necessary to practice good oral hygiene. Describe plaque as a component of a comprehensive preventive dentistry program. Should discuss daily removal of bacterial plaque from the teeth and adjacent oral tissues. Describe fluoride therapy as a component of a comprehensive preventive dentistry program. Should include professionally applied fluorides, at-home fluoride therapy, and the consumption of fluoridated community water. Describe sealants as a component of a comprehensive preventive dentistry program. Should most frequently be applied to the difficult-to-clean occlusal surfaces of the teeth. Decay causing bacteria are then prevented from reaching into occlusal pits and fissures. How will a dental assistant accomplish the goal of enabling patients to develop and maintain sound dental habits throughout life? By educating, encouraging, and assisting patients in changing their attitudes and modifying behaviors that work against good oral health. Why must patient education efforts be reinforced and repeated periodically? For a preventive program to be effective since very few people master a skill after just one lesson. List the guidelines for patient education. Includes listening carefully to learn how patients perceive their dental healthcare needs, instructing the patient on how to remove plaque by explaining the relationship of plaque to dental disease, assessing the patient's motivations and needs, selecting home care aids such as a toothbrush, toothbrushing method, and interproximal cleaning aids such as floss and a toothpaste based on the patient's needs; keeping the instruction simple by selecting communication that is comfortable for the patient and helping them to make improvements in their techniques as well as commenting positively on their efforts, reinforcing home care during the patient's visits for dental treatment, and helping the patient achieve their goals in positive and helpful manner. What is an effective aid to help patients actually see the plaque on the teeth during the education program? A disclosing agent. Describe the importance of dental care as an aspect of total prenatal care. When the mother has a healthy mouth and teeth, she is protecting her unborn child. Untreated tooth and periodontal disease can increase the risk of giving birth to a preterm, low-birth-weight baby. In addition to effective brushing and flossing, how can a pregnant woman help to reduce the bacteria in her mouth? Pregnant women can use an antibacterial mouth rinse and chewing gum or mints that contain xylitol. When does good oral health begin? At birth. What oral hygiene procedure should be started even before the infant has any teeth? Wiping the gums gently with a clean wet cloth after each feeding. When should the process of brushing the teeth begin?