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
QUIZ: Test Your Periodontium Knowledge
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Listen to the Today's RDH Dental Hygiene Podcast Below:
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...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 6: CDT Codes for Dental Hygienists to Implement
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses CDT codes for dental hygienists to implement.
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.
QUIZ: Test Your Anxiety and Pain Control Knowledge to Help Patients
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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. 5: Current Protocols in Root Planing, Subgingival Irrigation, and FMD
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses current protocols in root planing, subgingival irrigation, and full mouth debridement.
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.
QUIZ: Test Your Dental Hygiene Profession Knowledge
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Listen to the Today's RDH Dental Hygiene Podcast Below:
Dental Practice Acts: How Often Should Dental Hygienists Review Them?
Questions abound on social media regarding what is allowed to occur in the dental office, ranging from "Can assistants polish?" to "When the dentist is out of the office, can hygienists see patients who have not had an exam in 12 months? "Unfortunately, there is not one right answer. The answer depends on the state in which the situation...
Critical Thinking: How Dental Professionals Can Reboot Thought Patterns
Carl Sagan once said, "The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what is true."
Critical thinking does not come naturally; it takes some level of...
Oral Cancer: HPV-related Small Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx
HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer is becoming more widely discussed in literature and dental offices. Over the past 30 years, we have learned more about HPV’s role in oropharyngeal cancer. Currently, oropharyngeal cancer is the most common HPV-related cancer in the United States.1
Most of the oropharyngeal cancer caused by HPV are squamous cell carcinomas. However, there are multiple phenotypes that are...
Refresher on Different Types of Scientific Studies and Their Clinical Relevance
Practicing clinicians must understand the differences in the types of dental research and clinical relevance when reading and reviewing scientific literature. This awareness helps ensure dental professionals are providing the best possible care to patients and can assist in helping determine the best recommendations or tools to improve patients' oral health.
Placing too much weight on a study that may...
6 Underutilized CDT Codes for Dental Hygiene Treatment
The one thing I wished I had learned in hygiene school was how to understand current dental terminology (CDT) codes better. However, this wasn't even mentioned in passing in my program.
I understand these codes and insurance should not in any way dictate treatment recommendations; however, understanding these codes and their limitations helps to have conversations with patients regarding the...
Chiari Malformation: Identifying Potential Oral Health Symptoms in Dental Patients
Chiari malformation is a condition in which the brain tissue extends into the spinal canal. Many cases are asymptomatic and only discovered due to imaging for other conditions. However, when it is symptomatic, it can be quite painful.
It is estimated that the prevalence of Chiari malformation is around one in 1,000 people. The four types of Chiari malformation are:
...
QUIZ: Test Your Prophylactic Antibiotics Knowledge
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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...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 4: Monkeypox & Dentistry
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses monkeypox, including the history, virology, and pathophysiology, as well as the impact is has on dental professionals and dental offices.
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.
Please note:...
Researchers Use Teeth to Discover the Origin of Herpes Simplex Virus
According to the World Health Organization, several billion people globally are infected with the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1).1 Determining the origin and changes that occur in viruses can help scientists better understand the virus as well as therapeutic and preventive measures. However, tracing the origin and genomic changes can be challenging for viruses that have infected humans for hundreds...
QUIZ: Oral Manifestations of Infectious Diseases
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Listen to the Today's RDH Dental Hygiene Podcast Below:
Quorum Sensing Research Hopes to Reduce Antibiotic Use and Oral Biofilm
Bacteria. Can't live with them. Can't live without them. Commensal bacteria keep us healthy; they provide essential nutrients, defend against colonization of pathogens, are the building blocks of the gastrointestinal tract, and stimulate the immune system when needed. However, pathogenic bacteria can cause a plethora of issues and diseases that can wreak havoc on our bodies and, in some...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 3: New Discoveries of Head & Neck Physiology
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses new discoveries of head and neck physiology.
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.