Clinical Tip #20 In order to establish a well-organized compilation of information for the dentist to form a diagnosis, a dental professional needs to update the patient’s medical history, bring up previous films, take the radiographs ordered by the dentist as it applies to the patient’s complaints, and have the tools ready for a clinical examination. You are part of a team that together, creates the appropriate setting for an accurate diagnosis. Definitions Anatomic landmark: Structures seen on a radiograph that are within normal limits. Benign lesion: A lesion that is slow growing with well-defined borders and is not cancerous. Bilateral lesion: A lesion appearing on both sides of the oral cavity. Differential diagnosis: A diagnosis of identifying a disease using a myriad of signs, symptoms, radiographs and a clinical exam. Interpretation: An explanation of radiographic discoveries. …show more content…
It is a starting point followed by the dental and medical history, clinical examination, and if deemed necessary: vitality testing advanced imaging, biopsy and laboratory test. Advanced imaging such as a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be ordered if regular a periapical film, occlusal film, extraoral film or panoramic view does not give a clear visualization of the pathology. Anatomic landmarks play an imperative part in a diagnosis of a lesion. A supposed lesion that appears on both sides of the oral cavity is normally discovered to be an anatomic landmark rather than a pathologic lesion. A history of a patient’s previous films reveals the former treatment that may bring previous pathologic areas to the forefront of the possibilities of the diagnosis. For example, if a patient previously had a crown placed on a tooth, and there is a radiolucent area on the apex of the root, a dentist knows the tooth may be dying due to previous
At CADH, I was taught how to act upon the eight competencies in different aspects for the public. As a clinician I was taught how to apply the dental hygiene process of care; assessing signs and symptoms, as well as risks factors related to oral disease, and then make a diagnosis, plan, implement, and evaluate the treatment within the dental hygiene scope of practice. One of many important roles of being a dental hygienist is being part of a dental care team where I we work in collaboration with a dentist or a dental specialist. I have been able to extensively develop my management skills to understand the administrative setting of the school, as well as the authority responsibilities and roles of my faculty and other professionals involved. As an administrator, I am responsible to manage my clients’ periodontal status, by identifying presence of disease, setting care priorities, eliminating risk factors, and deciding whether the client is already in the maintenance state or needs further special treatment. As ...
Over ten years ago, I met two patients who forever changed the way I viewed my role as a practicing dental hygienist. I greeted the first, a 34 year-old male patient, and escorted him to my operatory. He looked different from most patients, as he wore a medical mask covering his mouth. Surprisingly, I noticed he could not speak, communicating only by using a dry eraser board. On his board, he wrote that he only had six months to live and wanted a tooth pulled so he could be out of pain. As he removed the medical mask from his face, I saw a large tumor that displaced several teeth on the inside of his mouth. The tumor was very disfiguring, and he was clearly in pain. I knew I was staring at oral cancer in the face. Ultimately, the dentist came in and the patient received palliative care that day. But, I never saw him again.
An orthodontist’s job is to identify the underlying problem of the teeth, identify the cause and proceed with the treatment based on his identifications. There are certain steps
requiered to determine treatment. Lab tests or imaging is often requiered as well. It’s chronic,
Bitewing radiographs are an important adjunct to clinical examination and maybe necessary to help the clinician detect and diagnose caries (REF). However ionising radiation from x-ray exposure has the potential to cause malignancy in the patient and therefore clin...
The doctor might also conduct a physical examination to confirm the diagnosis. This is carried out by listening...
Dental Hygienist are commonly found in clinical settings. In this setting their main objective is to control
There are two types of tumors, benign tumors and malignant tumors. Benign tumors are not cancerous. These types of tumors can usually be removed and do not come back in most cases. Benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body and the cells do not invade other tissues. Unlike b...
I decided to do my research report on dentistry because it is a perfect blend of science and art. It is a science in that you must fully comprehend on the different types of diagnostic and procedures you are doing. It is an art in that you are constantly working with your hands to create a beautiful smile. The impact you make on helping a person achieve an impeccable smile is not one to compare with materialistic things like money or cars. People often mistake dentist as only doing practices when in fact they could do more, like research. I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to interview Dr. Sarah Pham, DDS, a close family friend who practices dentistry in her own private office in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Pham was
Initially she would perform the exams as learned in school, but now after finding something abnormal, she now does a more thorough check, especially on patients with previous history of cancer. This incident solidified her belief in early detection and proper documentation. By having the information in the patient’s chart Annette could refer back to it and follow up to see if anything has changed since the last visit. Most patients she sees do not have oral cancer but she is able to identify abnormalities and encourage the patient to have them checked to determine if they are precancerous.
Endodontic success rate in the literature ranges from 92% to 98% with teeth without apical periodontitis prior to treatment (Friedman, Abitbol et al. 2003, Friedman and Mor 2004). Studies inspecting the success of endodontics differ in describing the term success and survival and it also differ in the period permitted for healing of the apical radiolucency. An asymptomatic tooth clinically with intact periodontal ligament space and complete absence of the of the periapical radiolucency radiographically is considered a success (Strindberg 1956 ). Friedman, Abitbol et al. (2003) Reported an overall 81% success rate for root canal treated teeth, these results were based on a strict criteria (no signs and symptoms and no apical periodontitis) the success rates increased to 94% when teeth with no sympt...
On his initial examination dated 23/06/13 the patient was seen for a routine full mouth scale and polish with reinforced oral hygiene instruction including flossing technique. He presented with excellent oral hygiene at this appointment which was a reflection of his commitment to good oral hygiene; tooth-brushing twice daily and dental flossing once daily. This was further supported by the patients plaque scores at 5% and bleeding scores at 4% with only minimal supra gingival calculus on lower anterior teeth. There was no erythema or oedema present on the gingival tissues.
Benign tumors look similar to the tissues that they came from and develop slowly. The tumor remains in the same area that the tumor originated in. Malignant tumors are formed from cells that do not resemble the tissue that they came from. They vary in shape and size. This enables pieces of the tumor to break off and spread to other places in the body.
Nowadays the practice of dentistry is becoming more challenging and complex because of the information explosion regarding dental materials and equipment, increasing need for continuous professional development and an increasingly litigious society. Hence there has been a paradigm shift towards evidence-based healthcare .
AS a dentist one should be strongly determined to devote selflessly for the betterment of mankind .Patient usuall...