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The Role of the Dental Hygienist in a Comprehensive Healthcare Dental Office and Their Impact on Preventative Oral-Systemic Health Care

Oral health is an integral part of overall health, and evidence continues to accumulate on the relationship between oral health and systemic conditions. The dental hygienist's role extends beyond simple plaque removal; it encompasses patient education, risk assessment, disease prevention, and the facilitation of comprehensive care. In a complete healthcare dental office, the dental hygienist serves as a frontline provider of preventive care, contributing significantly to managing both oral and systemic health issues.

The Evolving Role of the Dental Hygienist

Historically, dental hygienists were primarily responsible for cleaning teeth and advising patients on oral hygiene. However, their role has expanded significantly, particularly in practices focusing on the oral-systemic connection. Today, dental hygienists are integral in detecting systemic diseases that manifest orally, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Wilder et al., 2016). They are trained to assess a patient’s overall health status by recognizing signs and symptoms that may point to underlying medical conditions, facilitating early referrals and interprofessional collaboration.

For instance, inflammation of the gums, or periodontitis, has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (Preshaw et al., 2012). Dental hygienists help mitigate this risk by performing periodontal assessments and implementing appropriate preventive measures. They also play a critical role in educating patients on the implications of poor oral health on their general well-being, fostering a more proactive approach to healthcare (Petersen, 2008).

Preventative Care and the Oral-Systemic Health Connection

Preventative care is the cornerstone of the dental hygienist’s responsibilities. Regular cleanings, oral cancer screenings, and periodontal evaluations are all preventive measures that can significantly reduce the incidence of more severe health conditions. The importance of this is heightened by the established links between oral diseases and systemic health issues. 

Periodontal disease, for instance, is not only a localized infection but is associated with systemic inflammation, contributing to conditions such as diabetes and adverse pregnancy outcomes (Sanz et al., 2018). Dental hygienists are crucial in managing periodontal health, thus reducing the systemic inflammatory burden on the body. Early detection and management of oral diseases can prevent the progression of systemic illnesses, enhancing a patient’s overall quality of life (Jepsen et al., 2017).

In addition to direct patient care, dental hygienists are key educators. They teach patients about the importance of maintaining oral hygiene and its impact on overall health, including the proper techniques for brushing and flossing, the importance of fluoride use, and dietary recommendations (Wilder et al., 2016). By empowering patients with this knowledge, dental hygienists enable individuals to take control of their oral health, which can lead to improved systemic health outcomes.

The Dental Hygienist’s Role in a Complete Healthcare Team

In a complete healthcare dental office, dental hygienists do not work in isolation; they are integral members of an interdisciplinary team that includes dentists, medical doctors, and other healthcare professionals. This collaborative approach is essential for managing patients with complex medical conditions, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, who require coordinated care across different healthcare domains.

Interprofessional collaboration allows for a holistic approach to patient care. For example, dental hygienists can communicate with physicians about patients who exhibit signs of undiagnosed diabetes, as severe periodontitis is often associated with poor glycemic control (Taylor et al., 2013). Similarly, by addressing oral health, dental hygienists can aid in managing systemic conditions such as respiratory infections, which can be exacerbated by poor oral hygiene (Azarpazhooh & Leake, 2006).

Impact on Healthcare Costs and Outcomes

Preventive care provided by dental hygienists has the potential to reduce healthcare costs significantly. By preventing the onset of severe periodontal disease and its systemic complications, dental hygienists help reduce the need for expensive treatments and hospitalizations. Furthermore, the early detection of systemic conditions through regular dental visits can lead to earlier and less costly interventions (Wilder et al., 2016). 

The promotion of preventive measures by dental hygienists also has a positive impact on patient outcomes. Studies have shown that patients who receive regular periodontal care have lower healthcare costs related to diabetes and cardiovascular disease management (Jeffcoat et al., 2014). This demonstrates that dental hygienists are improving oral health and contributing to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare systems.

Challenges and Future Directions

Despite the clear benefits of integrating dental hygienists into comprehensive healthcare teams, several challenges remain. One significant barrier is the lack of widespread recognition of the oral-systemic connection in public health policies and among healthcare providers. Greater efforts are needed to increase awareness and foster stronger collaborations between medical and dental professionals (Glick et al., 2016).

Another challenge is the need for continued education and training for dental hygienists to stay current with advances in both dentistry and medicine. As research continues to uncover the complexities of the oral-systemic link, dental hygienists must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to address these connections in clinical practice.

Conclusion

The dental hygienist's role is essential to a complete healthcare dental office, particularly in the context of preventive care and the management of oral-systemic health. Through regular assessments, patient education, and interprofessional collaboration, dental hygienists play a critical role in improving both oral and overall health outcomes. As the understanding of the oral-systemic connection grows, so too does the importance of integrating dental hygienists into the broader healthcare framework, ultimately leading to better health outcomes and more efficient care systems.

AAOSH Resources

The AAOSH Core Curriculum areas, Success for the Oral Systemic Practice and Behavioral Influences, Increasing Health Literacy, & the Psychology of Healing, are designed to equip dental professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in the ever-evolving field of oral systemic health. Our comprehensive curriculum emphasizes integrating oral and systemic care, offering practical strategies for improving patient outcomes and enhancing practice efficiency. With a focus on continuous improvement and professional growth, this curriculum is essential for anyone looking to elevate their practice and make a lasting impact on their patients' lives.

AAOSH Members can access 250+ on-demand courses, free monthly CE webinars, live and virtual events discounts, and much more. Not a member? Join AAOSH today, and save 30%. Use the code LEARN30 at checkout and save 30%!

We hope you will enjoy this sample course from our core curriculum. (Please Note: These are sample courses; watching these videos here does not provide CE credit. Please visit members.aaosh.org to search for these courses and earn CE credit.)

Dental Hygienists as Health Coaches: Benefits for Patients and Practices

Presented by: Erin Howlett, RDH, BA, Mark Nelson MD, FACC, MPH, and Doug Thompson, DDS

Original Publication Date:  February 12, 2020

 

 

Course Description:

This webinar will provide a brief overview of the rising epidemic of obesity and chronic disease and its impact on oral and systemic health, as well as the critical role dental hygienists can play in helping their patients address these concerns.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify and demonstrate how to ask life-changing questions to awaken a patient’s intrinsic motivation to change and help them clarify and write down their personal health goals.
  • Recognize the importance of a Personal Health Journal and put pen to paper using SMART goals.
  • Identify the difference between problem-solving and preventive orientation and the creative process: the generative process of creating optimal health and well-being.
  • Recognize the power of personal choice, how to create new healthy habits, and the importance of focusing on what we want to make vs. what we don’t want.

Speaker Bios:

Erin Howlett has worked in dentistry for over 30 years as a dental hygienist, implant treatment coordinator, and speaker, and now with a focus on Oral Systemic health  – wellness and healthy lifestyle coaching. With a continuing passion for working towards creating optimal oral and overall health outcomes, she’s grateful for the opportunity to study oral systemic health with Dr. Doug Thompson. She is now the Operations Manager for Wellness Dentistry Network. She’s also a proud American Academy of Oral Systemic Health and ADHA member.

Mark Nelson is a retired cardiologist who transitioned from treating and managing disease to empowering and creating health and well-being for himself, his patients, and many others. As an Optimal Health Practitioner, his Health Coach COPE Certification is in partnership with the Bradley McDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education, Villanova College and Nursing. He is an instructor who teaches our Habits of Health curriculum to fellow Health Coaches and others who want to study and understand habits of health and well-being.

As an independent certified OPTAVIA coach, Dr. Nelson empowers people to create healthier lifestyles that enable them to reduce disease burden and reduce or eliminate medications. He coaches clients in the six core health habits, including healthy nutrition & hydration, nutritional and predictable weight loss, therapeutic movement, recuperative sleep, mindfulness & stress reduction, and creating healthy surroundings. Helping clients understand the importance of a healthy mindset is critical for creating lifelong health. A healthy mind is emotionally intelligent with personal and social self-awareness rooted in mindfulness. Before becoming a Health Coach, Mark was a Board Certified Cardiologist who practiced in Albany, N.Y. He received his baccalaureate degree from New York University, his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University Medical School, and his Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University. In addition to years of clinical work, Mark worked for the Centers for Disease Control and did occupational health and safety work for the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers Union. Mark served on the Planning Committee of the New York State American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Women and Heart Disease Physician Education Initiative.

Mark has focused on disease prevention, health creation, and optimal health education for many years and has given numerous presentations (many CME accredited) to students, teachers, school nurses, health care professionals, patients, and community groups on preventing, treating and reversing cardiovascular disease, heart-healthy nutrition, preventing and reversing Type 2 Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes and preventing and reversing overweight and obesity. He also consulted for the Healthy Heart 4 Kids website, answering student questions about heart and heart disease. He authored an article for the New York State Academy of Family Physicians Family Doctor Summer 2016 issue entitled "Moving Medicine into the Third Era: Creating Optimal Health and Well-Being."

As an Optimal Health Practitioner and business coach, Mark works with healthcare professionals and entities, helping them create health and well-being for healthcare professionals, patients, staff, employees, and their communities. Mark is an avid sports enthusiast who enjoys swimming, biking, running, skiing, snowboarding, yoga, martial arts, and kettlebell training. He lives in Troy with his wife, Margaret, also a Health and Business Coach with OPTAVIA. Mark and Margaret have a son, Jake, and a daughter, Molly.

Best Practices in the New Era of HygieneDoug Thompson began his dental career at age eighteen, working as an in-house laboratory technician. He graduated from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1996 and then completed a one-year hospital-based V.A. Residency in 1997. Dr. Thompson has completed hundreds of hours of continuing education at the Kois Center in Seattle, Washington. In 2015, he was offered and accepted a part-time faculty position teaching about personalized periodontal medicine. In 2016, he added the wellness dentistry topic to his teaching role.

In addition to his dental training, Dr. Thompson is pursuing a fellowship in anti-aging and regenerative medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and Functional Medicine. He has published professionally, and in 2015, Dr. Thompson founded the Wellness Dentistry Network, a community of dentists with a keen awareness of how oral conditions affect whole-body health.

Best Practices in the New Era of Hygiene

Presented by: Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA and Patti DeMatteis, ASDH, RDH

Original Publication Date: May 20, 2020

Course Description:

Hygiene Warriors! Your patients need your oral systemic care and understanding of underlying healthcare risks more than ever. The DHEmethods' Protocol, Test Treat Repopulate, Can Help You Prepare Yourself and Your Patients for their Dental Appointments. During this course, we will talk candidly about hygienists returning to work and strategies they can implement to decrease stress and work more efficiently. We will address testing from COVID-19, antibodies to the host response, and bacterial pathogens. This course will give you the confidence to protect yourself and your patients.

Learning Objectives:

  • Implement strategies with oral-care probiotics & pre-procedural rinses to reduce aerosols in the operator.
  • Understand the importance of screening & testing protocols.
  • Learn communication techniques to create value for treatment amidst the increase in gingival & periodontal diseases.

Speaker Bios:

Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA, is co-owner of DHEmethod. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene from The Ohio State University in 1995. She continues to work in private practice as a periodontal therapist while running her business as a dental consultant. Lora is a member of the ADHA, ODHA, and CDHA. She has served as Continuing Education Chair for the CDHA and as a liaison for the ODHA to the OSDB. She is a founding member of AAOSH and a Preceptor for the Bale/Doneen Method. Her passion lies in improving the quality of life for every patient by implementing oral-systemic care into practice through the DHEmethod.

Patti DeMatteis, ASDH, RDH, is the founder of DHEmethod. Patti received her Dental Hygiene Degree from Western Kentucky University in 1972. After practicing for twenty-five years as a periodontal therapist, she founded Dental Hygiene Excellence in 1997 while living in Scottsdale, Arizona. Patti is a founding member of The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health and a Bale/Doneen Method Preceptor. Her passion for dentistry focuses on comprehensive patient care and helping dental colleagues enjoy their profession in the fast-paced oral-systemic movement toward prevention and wellness.

References (In order of appearance):

Wilder, R. S., Bray, K. S., Mosca, N. G., & Al‐Shammari, K. F. (2016). Improving interdisciplinary collaboration for oral-systemic health. Journal of Dental Hygiene, 90(1), 45-50.

Preshaw, P. M., Alba, A. L., Herrera, D., Jepsen, S., Konstantinidis, A., Makrilakis, K., & Taylor, R. (2012). Periodontitis and diabetes: a two-way relationship. Diabetologia, 55(1), 21-31.

Petersen, P. E. (2008). Oral health. In Global epidemiology of noncommunicable diseases: the epidemic of oral diseases, diabetes, and respiratory infections. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 45(9), 819-823.

Sanz, M., Marco Del Castillo, A., Jepsen, S., Gonzalez‐Juanatey, J. R., D'Aiuto, F., Bouchard, P., & Chapple, I. (2018). Periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases: Consensus report. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 45(2), 138-149.

Jepsen, S., Caton, J. G., Albandar, J. M., Bissada, N. F., Bouchard, P., Cortellini, P., & Deschner, J. (2017). Periodontal manifestations of systemic diseases and developmental and acquired conditions: Consensus report of workgroup 3 of the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri‐Implant Diseases and Conditions. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 45(S20), S219-S229.

Taylor, G. W., Borgnakke, W. S., & Weyant, R. J. (2013). Diabetes and oral health: Summary of current scientific evidence.

Azarpazhooh, A., & Leake, J. L. (2006). Systematic review of the association between respiratory diseases and oral health. Journal of Periodontology, 77(9), 1465-1482.

Jeffcoat, M. K., Jeffcoat, R. L., Gladowski, P. A., Bramson, J. B., & Blum, J. J. (2014). Impact of periodontal therapy on general health: Evidence from insurance data for five systemic conditions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(2), 166-174.

Glick, M., Williams, D. M., Kleinman, D. V., Vujicic, M., Watt, R. G., & Weyant, R. J. (2016). A new definition for oral health developed by the FDI World Dental Federation opens the door to a universal definition of oral health. Journal of the American Dental Association, 147(12), 915-917.

Success for the Oral Systemic Practice