Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH
Spring Hayes Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, is a graduate of Florida State College at Jacksonville, and she holds licensure in Florida, Louisiana, and Alabama. Spring is on the Advisory Board and holds the position of Continuing Education Manager at Today’s RDH. Her passion is elevating the dental hygiene profession through science, education, and clinical excellence. In her free time, she loves traveling, reading, and spending time with her husband, children, and the animals at her useless animal farm. She can be reached via email at Spring@TodaysRDH.com
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 20: Dangers of Oral Clay Products
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, takes a look at natural oral care products, specifically bentonite clay.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
Nano-Hydroxyapatite Varnish: Does Research Support Caries Prevention Efficacy and Safety?
Nano-hydroxyapatite varnish has made its way to the market and into some dental practices. Though nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste has been on the market for several years, nano-hydroxyapatite varnish is a relatively new concept. As with all new products, research and clinical trials are needed to verify safety and efficacy.
An article previously published by Today's RDH provides insight into nano-hydroxyapatite and...
Hand Hygiene: How Effective Are Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Against Non-Enveloped Viruses?
The very first thing I learned clinically in dental hygiene school was hand hygiene. Proper handwashing was the first, and admittedly the most stressful, clinical competency on which we were evaluated. I remember practicing until my skin was chapped to ensure my technique was perfect.
Though we all need to know the correct technique and properly wash our hands, the...
QUIZ: Test Your Oral Cancer Screening Knowledge
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Before you leave, check out the Today's RDH self-study CE courses. All courses are peer-reviewed and non-sponsored to focus solely on high-quality education. Click here now.
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 19: Periodontal Disease and Hypertension
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, takes a look at the oral-systemic link focusing on periodontal disease and hypertension.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
Evidence-Based Dental Care: Evolution of SRP, FMD, and Subgingival Irrigation
As a hobby, I enjoy reading scientific literature published in the 1800s and a few from the early 1900s. What fascinates me is just how far we have come in medicine and dentistry. The progress we have made ‒ not only making treatment more comfortable for patients but also the updated evidence-based protocols for clinicians that provide the guidance...
Research History of Traumatic Occlusion and Why More Research is Needed
An ongoing debate and lack of clear evidence have left the dental profession with unanswered questions about the role of traumatic occlusion in multiple oral conditions. Is it a contributing factor? How should it be managed? What is the proper protocol, and how do we clearly identify it?
So many questions come to mind, and I hope to answer them...
Informed Consent Review: How Hygienists Can Assist Patients in Making Informed Decisions
Informed consent is an important aspect of research, medicine, and dentistry, as well as the patient's right to autonomy. While a patient's right to autonomy can become blurred in the face of certain ethical decisions, it should never be ignored outright.
Medicine and medical research have a past that haunts me since early research rarely, if ever, considered patients' autonomy....
QUIZ: Test Your Extraoral and Intraoral Clinical Assessment Knowledge
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Before you leave, check out the Today's RDH self-study CE courses. All courses are peer-reviewed and non-sponsored to focus solely on high-quality education. Click here now.
Consumer Beware: An Example of the Cosmetic and Beauty Industry Practicing Unlicensed Dentistry
There is a growing trend in the cosmetic and beauty industry in which unlicensed individuals are practicing dentistry. Most of these establishments are hiding behind the guise of providing cosmetic services when, in fact, they are providing and recommending dental treatment that is not within their scope of practice in the cosmetic industry.
This is a cautionary tale for both...
Dental Board Exams: The Ethical Conflicts of Using Live Dental Patients
Are you aware that dentistry is the only area of health care that requires a live board patent exam for licensure? In no other area of health care is this an acceptable practice.1 Historically, we have been using live patients since the early 1900s.2 The consistent use of live patients for so many years has made shifting away from...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 18: Genetics & Oral Health
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, dives into the topic of genetics and oral health.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
Artificial Sweeteners: Reviewing the Oral Health Effects of Different Sugar Alternatives
A few years ago, I was told by a fellow hygienist that certain artificial sweeteners, specifically sorbitol, increased the risk of dental caries. I inquired about sources to support this claim, and the hygienist directed me to the dentist who provided this information to her.
I reached out to him on multiple occasions, and during these interactions, he assured me...
The History of Periodontics and Where We are Today
The challenges dental hygienists currently face are quite different from those we have faced in the past. In the past, the challenge was finding effective treatment and maintenance of periodontal disease. Now, we face the challenge of highlighting the importance of a dental hygienist's role in patient care in the first place.
Several states have recently passed bills that allow...
QUIZ: Test Your HPV and Oropharyngeal Cancer Knowledge
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Before you leave, check out the Today's RDH self-study CE courses. All courses are peer-reviewed and non-sponsored to focus solely on high-quality education. Click here now.
Geographic Tongue: Is There a Systemic Link?
Geographic tongue is an inflammatory but harmless condition affecting the surface of the tongue. With geographic tongue, patches on the surface of the tongue are missing papillae and appear as smooth, red "islands," often with slightly raised borders. Geographic tongue is said to be idiopathic in nature. With so much research connecting systemic disease with oral manifestations, is it...
A Hygienists’ Review of Obtaining Medical Clearance Before Dental Treatment
During my clinical career in dental hygiene, I had the opportunity to work in five different dental practices across three states. Some were private practices, and some were DSOs. Though many protocols were similar or, in some cases, precisely the same, the one thing that was always different in every practice was the protocols for medical clearance.
Differing protocols from...
Understanding and Managing Dental Patients with Central Sensitivity Syndrome
Central sensitivity syndrome (CSS) is a term that encompasses multiple disorders, including fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headaches, temporomandibular disorder, trigeminal neuralgia, and pelvic pain syndromes. This group of disorders often share common symptoms, and chronic pain is the most prominent feature.1,2
Diseases associated with central sensitivity syndrome are often “invisible” diseases. Invisible diseases are often present in a way...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 17: Caries Management
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, looks at the importance of evidence-based dentistry for caries management.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
Dissecting the Research: Elusive Causes of Black Line Stain and Hygiene Management
Black stain is “an external dental discoloration of bacterial origin, considered a special form of dental plaque.”1 The discoloration is characterized as a “dark line, or an incomplete coalescence of dark dots localized on the cervical third of the tooth.”2
Black line stain can be difficult to manage for both patients and dental professionals alike. Many patients who experience black...