Electromyographical Assessments of Recommended Neck and Trunk Positions for Dental Hygienists.

Dental professionals are recommended to limit neck and trunk flexion to within 20° of a neutral (0°) body posture, however empirical support for the recommendations is lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences in muscle workload between a range of neck and trunk postures in a population of dental hygiene students. Fifteen first semester senior dental hygiene students with no history of neck and trunk injury volunteered to participate.

Helping Dementia Caregivers Through Technology.

It is estimated there are between 43.5 and 65.7 million caregivers in the United States who provide unpaid care for older adults.

Effect of a Simulation Exercise on Restorative Identification Skills of First Year Dental Hygiene Students.

Purpose: This study explored the effectiveness of simulated mouth models to improve identification and recording of dental restorations when compared to using traditional didactic instruction combined with 2-dimensional images. Simulation has been adopted into medical and dental education curriculum to improve both student learning and patient safety outcomes.

Methods: A 2-sample, independent t-test analysis of data was conducted to compare graded dental recordings of dental hygiene students using simulated mouth models and dental hygiene students using 2-dimensional photographs.

Oral Care in the Long-Term Care of Older Patients: How Can the Dental Hygienist Meet the Need?

It is estimated that the older population, aged 65 and older, will make up over 20% of the U.S. population by the year 2030.

Effectiveness of a Screening and Brief Intervention protocol for heavy drinkers in dental practice: A cluster-randomized trial.

Results of a cluster-randomized trial of a Screening and Brief Intervention for heavy drinkers in dental practice are reported. Data were obtained from 103 heavy drinking patients recruited from randomized intervention (7; n = 50) and control (6; n = 53) practices. Analysis of data revealed that 6-month decreases in total drinks per week were significantly (p < .

Pilot program provides oral health services to long term care facility residents through service learning and community partnership.

Old Dominion University School of Dental Hygiene in Norfolk, Virginia, created an innovative preventive oral health program at Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital, a long term care facility located in coastal Virginia. The program had two main short-term goals: to increase the number of residents who receive preventive and therapeutic oral health services and to enhance future dental hygienists' learning experience with this diverse vulnerable population through service learning. The anticipated long-term goals are to improve quality of oral health care and overall health of long term care residents, to prevent potential disease, and to reproduce this model at other long term care facilities to improve access to care.

A brief motivational intervention for heavy alcohol use in dental practice settings: rationale and development.

Although brief alcohol interventions have proven effective in a variety of health care settings, the present article describes the development of the first brief intervention for heavy drinkers in dental practice. Elements of motivational interviewing and personalized normative feedback were incorporated in a 3- to 5-minute intervention delivered by dental hygienists. The intervention is guided by a one-page feedback report providing personalized normative feedback regarding the patient's current oral health practices, their drinking in comparison to others, and oral cancer risk associated with current smoking and drinking.