Patient Care: Dental

C H A PTER 05 Patient Care: Dental CHAPTER OBJECTIVES Af t e r c a re f u l s t u dy of t h i s c h a p ter, you should be able to: 1. State the education, training, and legal requirements for becoming a dentist, dental hygienist, and dental assistant, p. 117. 2. Describe the typical work responsibilities of each profession, p. 118. 3. List desirable personal characteristics of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, p. 119. 4. Identify employment opportunities and key trends for these occupations, p. 119. KEY TERMS bridge crown dental assistant dental hygienist (DEN tăl hī JĒ nist) dentures oral oral hygiene (ŌR ăl HĪ jēn) periodontal (PER ē ō DON tăl) root canal T his chapter profiles three dental professions that provide oral health services, such as regular checkups and cleanings. These occupations include the following: Dentists are doctors who care for people s teeth and gums. Dentists must be licensed to practice. In most states, getting a license requires graduating from an accredited dental school (usually a four-year program) and passing a written and a practical exam. Admission to dental school requires the Dental Admission Test and at least two years of college-level pre-dental education. 116 LWBK951_ch20-p116-121.indd 116 Dental hygienists clean and polish teeth, teach patients about oral hygiene, and perform a variety of other tasks. With a projected growth rate of 36 percent, dental hygiene ranks first among occupations requiring an associate s degree in terms of employment growth. Job prospects will be favorable from 2008 to 2018 but will vary by location. 6/12/11 11:01 AM

CHAPTER 20 Patient Care: Dental 117 Dental assistants perform a wide variety of tasks to keep a dental practice running smoothly. They may do clinical, administrative, and/or dental laboratory work, depending on their employers needs. Job prospects for dental assistants are excellent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment will grow by 36 percent from 2008 to 2018, and an estimated 105,000 new jobs will be added. More than many other parts of the body, teeth and gums require frequent care to maintain good health. Learn what it takes to become a member of one of the three dental occupations profiled here to provide patients with good oral care. BUILD YOUR UNDERSTANDING Objective 1: State the education, training, and legal requirements for becoming a dentist, dental hygienist, and dental assistant. Jumble After answering the questions below about aspects of certain types of dental occupations, use the circled letters to form the answer to this jumble (punctuation [e.g., hyphens, apostrophes] counts as a character). Clue: The former zookeeper decided to enroll in a dental hygiene program because she wanted to pursue a career she could...? 1. To become a dentist, a person must graduate from an _ dental school, which is usually a 4-year program, after having completed at least 2 years of college-level, pre-dental education and taking the Dental Admission Test. 2. In the last 2 years of dental school, students treat patients under the supervision of licensed dentists, working in hospitals, outpatient clinics, community clinics, or other settings as well as taking classes that will be useful in managing a practice, such as communication and business management. 3. All states and the District of Columbia require dentists to be in order to practice. 4. In nearly every state, a person must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program with a _, an associate s degree, a bachelor s degree, or a master s degree to become a dental hygienist. 5. Dental hygienist programs include both academic classes and 650 hours of clinical instruction. 6. _ differs from the other states in the title given to licensed dental hygienists, calling them RDHs (registered dental hygienists) or LDHs (licensed dental hygienists). 7. Some dental assistants are trained on the job, but most attend dental assisting programs offered by community and junior colleges, trade schools, _ institutes, and the military. 8. In some states, dental assistants must have a license or be registered to take x rays or to perform certain advanced tasks, such as _ teeth, which are often known as expanded functions.

118 PART IV CAREER PROFILES Objective 2: Describe the typical work responsibilities of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. True or False? After reviewing the section, Work Responsibilities for each profession, read the statements below and circle T if they are true or F if they are false. 1. T F Dentists examine people s teeth and gums to determine whether they are healthy, sometimes using x rays to identify and treat cavities, gum disease, and other dental problems. 2. T F Unlike physicians, dentists do not record notes of their examinations in their patients records. 3. T F Oral and maxillofacial geology is one of the nine areas dentists can specialize in. 4. T F The use of a probe is the only accurate, dependable method for a dentist to assess and measure pockets, which are spaces between inflamed gums and teeth surfaces. 5. T F Dental hygienists clean people s teeth by removing plaque and other materials from the teeth and from below the gum line, and they polish teeth, removing stains. 6. T F Dental hygienists can perform a variety of additional tasks, depending on the state in which they practice, including injecting anesthetics, placing fillings, and removing sutures, among others. 7. T F Teeth are polished in arches, and polishing starts with the near surface of the tooth nearest in an arch and moves backward. 8. T F Dental assistants may help care for patients, do office tasks, or work in a dental laboratory. 9. T F Dental assistants chairside duties are performed sitting down. 10. T F When applying compressed air during a procedure, dental assistants should take patients by surprise so they do not have time to become anxious.

C H A P T E R 20 Pat i e n t Care: D en tal 119 Objectives 3 and 4: List desirable personal characteristics of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, and identify employment opportunities and key trends for these occupations. Crossword Complete this crossword puzzle using clues across and down to familiarize yourself with the health care fields of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. LWBK951_ch20-p116-121.indd 119 6/12/11 11:01 AM

120 PART IV CAREER PROFILES Across 2. Working with nervous patients and young children requires this from dental hygienists 4. To be able to adjust easily when a patient is late or needs unanticipated care or when the office is short-staffed requires a dental hygienist to be what? 5. To develop this from customers, dentists must be good listeners and should also be able to explain dental problems to patients in a way that is easily understood 6. The ability of a dental hygienist to tell what kind of interaction a patient prefers and accommodating that preference to make their interaction pleasant is an example of good what? (2 words) 7. Holding more than one position at a time is possible for dental hygienists because this growing occupation features a flexible what? (2 words) 8. Besides attention to detail, patience, thoroughness, and the ability to focus on a task, being a dentist, a dental hygienist, or a dental assistant requires this skill (2 words) 10. What kind of skills enable dental assistants to talk easily with patients and to convey clear information to fellow employees? 11. The rising popularity of this kind of dental services, such as braces and whitening, contributes to the projected 16 percent job growth in the field of dentistry 13. Because dentists and other employees in a dental practice depend heavily on them, dental assistants must be what? 14. Establishing oneself in the profession of dentistry takes self-discipline and a strong what? (2 words) Down 1. Many tasks that dental hygienists perform, from making impressions or ensuring that a filling fits right to properly updating the patient s record after the exam, require attention to what? 3. Dental hygienists see many patients in the course of a day, requiring them to be well organized and what else to keep to their schedule? 6. To consider the different information about a patient s condition and determine the cause, dentists must be good what? (2 words) 9. Job prospects will be excellent for dental assistants in the near future, but some employers will favor those who can perform what kind of tasks? 12. Successful dentists display what kind of attitude toward their staff and patients?

CHAPTER 20 Patient Care: Dental 121 EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Essay Question In Test-Tube Teeth (http://whyfiles.org/shorties/147tooth), the authors state that, Sharks regenerate their own teeth. Someday, people may be able to do the same. Write a brief essay explaining what they base this claim on. Why would growing our own teeth be beneficial?