2. Introduction
Dentistry is about preventing oral disease, such as dental
decay, and preventing and caring for periodontal disease
The two major types of dental disease are dental decay and
periodontal disease
Important to educate the public on how to prevent disease
Must be knowledgeable about the many products available
that aid patients in maintaining their teeth and gums
Know how to motivate patients to be effective in their oral
hygiene care
3. Preventative Dentistry
To be effective in preventative dentistry, dental assistants must first
care for their own teeth properly and practice good nutrition
Brush and floss daily
Periodically disclose to evaluate the effectiveness of brushing and
flossing
Follow a fluoride program while the teeth are developing to allow
them to be strong and decay resistant
See a dentist for routine care and when teeth newly erupt in order
to have the dentist evaluate if enamel sealants need to be placed
Follow a good nutrition and exercise program to maintain overall
health
Schedule regular dental visits
4. Patient Motivation
Preventing dental disease is ultimately the responsibility
of the patient
Dental auxiliaries spend a great deal of time educating
and motivating patients
First aspect is to assess patients oral hygiene and listen to
the patient
What motivates them?
Get a plan of action for oral care
5. Age Characteristics
Each patent should be treated as an individual
Taking into consideration
Patients age
Oral hygiene knowledge
Skills
Attitude
Any special considerations
6. Infant Preventative Care (birth to one
year)
Characteristics Needs Teaching
Unable to care for
teeth on their own
Must be accomplished by
parent or guardian
Position child in arms or
sitting in chair
Needs to be positive
experience
How to hold hand and use
washcloths or infant tooth
brushes
Make it fun
7. Preschool Preventative Care
(1-4 years old)
Characteristics Needs Teaching
Lacks highly
developed motor
skills
Use visual aids Use “Mr. Air” or
blow “wind” on the
tooth
Attention span of
about 5 minutes
First appt with
dentist around the
age of 3
“upstairs” and
“downstairs” teeth
Unable to read Should be positive
and pleasant
Must get through
monitored brushing
at least once a day
(bedtime) but twice
a day is best
Loves to imitate
parents
Still need parental
assistance
Floss between
molars once per day
8. 5-8 year old Preventative Care
Characteristics Needs Teaching
Attention span 10-
15 minutes
Positive
reinforcement
Teach better brushing
techniques
Learning to read Make it fun and
entertaining
Teach how to floss
Likes to please
adults and enjoys
learning
Coloring sheets,
matching, finding
items make learning
fun
Requires constant
guidance
ADA videos
Dexterity is
improving
9. 9-12 year old Preventative Care
Characteristics Needs Teaching
Wants to fit in with
peers
Mixed dentition
may need special
care
Realistic visual aids
Very curious Rewards for good
hygiene
Are able to brush an
floss proficiently
“No cavity club”
wall in office
30 min attention
span
10. 13-15 year old Preventative Care
Characteristics Needs Teaching
Motivated by peer
pressure and
personal
appearance
Improved nutrition May need practice
flossing
May be
uncoordinated
More diligence with
hygiene
Teach good
nutrition
Provide positive
reinforcement
11. 16-19 year old Preventative Care
Characteristics Needs Teaching
Peer pressure
continues
Improves
nutrition habits
Allow them to take
responsibility
Questioning of
authority
Improve
techniques
Teach about the role of
sugar in tooth health,
plaque formation, and
decay
Wants to avoid
bad breath
Demonstrate improved
brushing and flossing
techniques
Improved
coordination
12. 20-60 year old Preventative Care
Characteristics Needs Teaching
May develop
gingivitis or
periodontal disease
Have more
specialized needs
and concerns that
are individualized
Teach how to
unlearn bad habits
Plaque may build up
with lack of dental
care
Must be involved
and motivated
Assistance with
identifying
problems
Teach that bleeding
indicates care or
attention is
required
13. 60+ year old Preventative Care
Characteristics Needs Teaching
Motivated to keep
teeth for lifetime
Repair or
replacement of
restorations and
appliances
Teach value of
routine
appointments
May develop
physical
impairments
Discuss age-related
changes that impact
oral health
May be taking
Medications
Techniques to adapt
to arthritis
Discuss impact of
medications or oral
health
14. Home Care
Patients are ultimately responsible for caring for their
oral health at home
The dental assistant can suggest ideas that will help
Ideas will differ for each patient
If everything looks well, let them know they are doing
a good job
15. Home Care
Make patients aware that the gingival tissue may be
sore and bleed when they first start a vigorous oral
hygiene program
This means that the tissues are not healthy, but they
will improve over time
Just like starting an exercise program
16. Historical Aspect of Preventive
Dental Care
Dr. Alfred C. Fones
Founder of dental hygiene and preventative dentistry
Hundreds of millions of dollars in public and private funds
are expended to restore the sick to health but only a relatively
small portion of this amount is spent to maintain the health of
well people, even though it is known that the most common
physical defects and illnesses are preventable.
17. Historical Aspect of Preventive
Dental Care
Some propose that dental hygiene truly was the primary component
of the prevention movement in health care.
Most insurance companies routinely cover preventative care because
of the long-term benefit and cost effectiveness of prevention in
dental health
Many communities voluntarily add fluoride to their water supplies
as a method of preventing dental disease
Many school systems offer their students dental sealants though
dental health providers
18. US Surgeon General's Report
on Oral Health in America
Oral health means much more than healthy teeth.
Oral health is essential to general health.
Safe and effective disease prevention measures exist so that
everyone can voluntarily decide to improve oral health and
prevent disease.
19. Dental Diseases and Systemic Health
Although, dental disease are preventable, dental health in
the US remains an issue
More that $60 billion is spent in the US for dental care
each year
Burden of dental decay is not evenly distributed
lower income households
Ethnic minorities
Many times, the patients have special needs
20. Dental Diseases and Systemic Health
Oral health and its relationship to total heath emphasize the
need for preventative dental care
Research has linked periodontal diseases to systemic
diseases
Cardiovascular diseases
Respiratory diseases
Diabetes
Cancer
Premature and low-birth weight baby's
Many more
21. Dental Diseases and Systemic Health
Oral health is not a minor health concern:
it affects overall heath and well-being
throughout life
22. Health Defined and Primary
Preventive Care
The wellness scale defines a continuum from a state of
health to a state of illness and death, with areas in
between for quality-of-life indicators
Health is the state of complete physical, mental, and
social well-being and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity. (World Health Organization)
23. Health Defined and Primary
Preventive Care
The individual is a multidimensional being with 5
dimensions:
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Social
Emotional
To experience total health, an individual must attain each
dimension of health
Preventative strategies need to be focused on all
multidisciplinary dimensions of health, realizing that all
aspects affect overall health
24. Primary Prevention
Uses strategies and agents to prevent the onset of diseases,
reverse the progress of disease, or arrest the disease
process before secondary preventive treatment becomes
necessary
This level is sometimes thought of as dental hygiene.
It is essential to realize that biologic repair of incipient
lesions (early-stage decay) and cure of gingivitis
(inflammation of the gingival tissue) are preferred
alternatives to restorations for periodontal treatment
25. Primary Prevention Examples
Oral evaluation
Dental prophylaxis
Dental cleaning in an
office
Fluoride as a preventive
agent
Dental sealants
Xylitol
Found in some gums
and helps prevent
decay
Health education
Health promotion
26. Secondary Prevention
Uses routine treatment methods to terminate a disease
process and/or restore tissues to as near normal as
possible
This level can be termed restorative care
27. Secondary Prevention Examples
Dental restorations (ex.: fillings, crowns)
Periodontal debridement
More advanced cleaning done in a dental
office
Fluoride use on incipient caries (early-stage
decay)
Dental sealants on incipient caries
Endodontics (root canal therapy)
28. Tertiary Prevention
Uses measures necessary to replace lost tissues and
rehabilitate patients to as near normal as possible
This level can be termed reconstructive care.
The shift from primary to tertiary prevention results in
an extremely rapid increase in the cost of health care
29. Tertiary Prevention Examples
Prosthodontics
the branch of dentistry concerned with the
design, manufacture, and fitting of artificial
replacements for teeth and other parts of the
mouth.
Dental Implants
Oromaxillofacial surgery
31. Preventative Care
Dental providers should derive a deep sense of satisfaction
by helping individuals maintain their oral structures in a
state of maximum function
Should become a vital component in the health care delivery
system, to enhance the overall health and well-being of the
population
If preventative programs are started early by an individual
(or parents/guardians), long-range freedom from diseases
cause by plaque is possible
Therefore, it is very important to teach oral health care to
children
