Case Study #3: Your first patient in clinic is a healthy 24…

Case Study #3: Your first patient in clinic is a healthy 24 year old with probe depths 1-3mm and tight, resilient tissue. They report that they do not floss and have not had a dental visit in 6 years. They have generalized calculus interproximal and you are using the sickle scalers to access the calculus.  You notice that you don’t have a sharpening card in your cassette, so you begin scaling without sharpening. While you are scaling, you place the instrument at the proper location on each tooth and use light, sweeping, supragingival strokes using your fingers. When your clinic instructor checks your scaling progress, they indicate that you have missed several areas of calculus in the middle of the proximals and have burnished other areas of calculus. In summary, you have not made much progress with your scaling. Use this information to answer the following questions. QUESTION:  What should be adjusted with your strokes to make them more effective?

CASE STUDY #1: You have completed your assessments on your p…

CASE STUDY #1: You have completed your assessments on your patient and are getting ready to scale.  You don’t see a test stick in your cassette, so you are going to use the Visual Test using light to determine if your instruments are sharp or dull.  Once you have determined this, you sharpen several of your instruments using the technique that we practiced in class.  Once your instruments are sharpened, you decide to use the sickle scalers as your first hand instruments on your patient since they are periodontally healthy and do not have periodontal pockets to scale.  Use this information to answer the following questions.  QUESTION: What will you see using the Visual Test if your instrument is dull?

You and your classmates are participating with a dental scre…

You and your classmates are participating with a dental screening event at a local health fair for immigrant and refugee families that have recently relocated to central Ohio. As part of this screening, you are using your magnification loupes and headlight, and have access to shepherd hooks explorers, periodontal explorers, probes and mirrors. On any willing participate, you are completing a head and neck oral cancer screening, an abbreviated PSR screening using one tooth in each sextant, and identifying any clinical visible areas that you are suspicious of decay. You chart all of this information and present a summary form and referral to the OSU dental clinic for each of the participants. QUESTION: What technique could be helpful in identifying areas of anterior proximal decay during this screening event?

You are treating a new patient who reports a history of gast…

You are treating a new patient who reports a history of gastrointestinal issues, including irritable bowel syndrome and acid reflux. The patient is concerned that the acid reflux will cause cavities, so you assure them that you will complete a thorough exam. Below is a photo that you took as part of the exam for a baseline image of the state of the teeth and for patient education. Use this information to answer the following questions: QUESTION: Which would NOT be an appropriate response to the patient’s concerns about decay?

Case Study #2: Your patient was recently diagnosed with Hepa…

Case Study #2: Your patient was recently diagnosed with Hepatitis C (HCV) and is getting ready to start taking medications, she reports no other health issues.  On her dental history she reports an 8/10 fear of the dentist and has a tooth that has been painful that she wants the dentist to examine. The vital signs you get today are BP: 142/92, pulse 102 and respirations 22.  As you are finishing up the appointment, you accidentally sustain a minor cut from a scaling instrument that has already been used in her mouth as you are organizing your cassette. The patient is still with you in the operatory, you have not dismissed her yet. Use this scenario to answer the next 4 questions. QUESTION: How would you classify her vital signs today?

Case Study #4: You are at a community outreach event screeni…

Case Study #4: You are at a community outreach event screening special needs patients for periodontal disease. As you complete the probing on on your first patient who has Down Syndrome, you discover the the probe advances into the first black block of the WHO/PSR probe and beyond on several teeth. You get a 6mm probe depth on the mesial of #3, 4-5mm probe depths on the mandibular anterior and on at least one molar in each sextant. You see and feel calculus in every quadrant. QUESTION: What would the summary of the periodontal condition be when presenting your findings to your faculty at the event?

CASE STUDY #3: You are seeing a patient for a  4 month perio…

CASE STUDY #3: You are seeing a patient for a  4 month periodontal maintenance appointment.  She had full periodontal charting 10 months ago and bitewing radiographs taken then.  She reports that she was diagnosed with diabetes and she’s having a hard time managing it so far.  When you look in the mouth to begin your charting, you see that there has been some gingival changes and that her probe depths are deeper than at her last appointment.  You also take some photos and show the patient the changes that you are seeing. Use this information to answer the next 5 questions.  QUESTION: How would you chart the recession on the teeth that are covered with calculus?