Dental Hygiene

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2019), approximately 60% to 70% of women experience gingivitis and early periodontitis during pregnancy. Periodontal disease is a common inflammatory disease consisting of two components, gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is inflammation of the soft tissue surrounding the teeth and gingiva. Periodontitis is the inflammatory reaction responsible for the destruction of...

Dental staffing agencies have evolved along with the rest of the profession, and a recent interview with Kelli Dash, RDH, in Illinois reveals her perspective about how temping has changed for dental hygiene. These interviews shared in the Decades of Dental Hygiene column gives us a glimpse into the rich history of dentistry. I have enjoyed interviewing Fran Tourdot, Barb...

Disclosure: This article is sponsored content from The Brewer Company as part of our sponsored partner program. The number one cause of early retirement in dentistry is musculoskeletal disorders, making the number one preventive measure to be proper ergonomics. Dental hygienists are preventive care specialists. We work hard to help our patients achieve optimal overall health. However, often I...

Dentistry has advanced in plenty of ways, including techniques, equipment, and the science behind it all. Unfortunately, as we age, instead of improving as dentistry does, we degrade due to stresses on the body. In hygiene, our bodies are not only affected ergonomically, but now that screens and electronics are so integrated into our daily lives, it’s only logical...

Dr. Kathy DeFord and I became acquainted through Iowa Western Community College’s Dental Hygiene Advisory Board. At a recent board meeting, I informed Dr. DeFord that I had learned from a former student’s research that she had a therapy dog at her office, and I would love to gain more insight. Dr. DeFord lit up and was happy to...

The dental hygiene profession is constantly bombarded by negatives, ranging from the risk of musculoskeletal disorders to the lack of respect from the general public. It is easy to come up with a list of negative aspects of a dental hygiene career. However, many hygienists find great satisfaction in the jobs that we do. With so many negatives surrounding our...

Naval dental medicine was founded in 1912 and originally established to recruit Sailors and Marines that would have otherwise been rejected from service due to dental needs2. The Naval Dental School was established in 1923, and it began the revolution in preventive care for the military.1 At the time, the school’s research leader, Capt. William Ferguson, was particularly active...

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In the late 1940s, Dr. Conrad Waddington, an embryologist, coined the term epigenetics. At that time, most embryologists did not consider genes important for human development. They believed genes only played a minor role, such as with eye color and hair color. Dr. Waddington proposed that genes were regulated by an epigenetic landscape, and this landscape was to “illustrate the...

There is a new treatment option making its way into dental offices around the country. It’s a little bit controversial but enormously innovative. The dental professionals that choose to offer this treatment and embrace its potential in the dental field will need to get past some preconceived notions first though. That is because this innovative new treatment is Botox...