Dental hygienists frequently encounter clients who present with one or several sensitive teeth. These clients often rely on the dental hygienist to help determine the cause and to provide supportive treatment to relieve their discomfort. Therefore, it is essential for dental hygienists to fully understand the complexity of dentin sensitivity, be well informed about treatment approaches, and have an appreciation of the difficulties inherent in designing and conducting clinical hypersensitivity trials. Difficulties in designing hypersensitivity research have precluded a definitive answer concerning a best treatment approach. The purpose of this course is to present dental hygienists with current information about the pain of sensitive teeth and the associated differential diagnosis. The theory of pain transmission, etiology of dentin sensitivity, professional and self-care treatment modalities, and natural remission of tooth sensitivity will be discussed. Tooth and pulp biology will be reviewed as a means of explaining treatment and management approaches. At completion of this course, as measured by a post-test, participants with be prepared to apply the knowledge gained to their evidence-based practice to positively impact the oral health of their clients.

Download full-text PDF

Source

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

dental hygienists
12
sensitive teeth
8
dentin sensitivity
8
treatment
5
understanding managing
4
managing dentin
4
dentin hypersensitivity
4
dental
4
hypersensitivity dental
4
hygienists frequently
4

Similar Publications

ORAL HEALTH IMPACT OF DENTAL HYGIENE AND DENTAL THERAPY PATIENT POPULATIONS-AN EVIDENCE UPDATE IN 2024.

J Evid Based Dent Pract

March 2025

Department of Primary Dental Care, Division of Dental Hygiene, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.

Objectives: Dental patient-reported outcomes, especially the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) construct, are vital for evidence-based dentistry. This construct includes four dimensions (4D): Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, and Psychosocial Impact. This study updates previous work characterizing 4D OHRQoL impairment among patients in dental hygiene (DH) and dental therapy (DT) settings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

National health care security and the dentist and dental hygienist compact: A call to action.

J Emerg Manag

March 2025

Assistant Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois.

There appears to be some confusion, misunderstanding, and unfounded concern about state governments being asked to adopt the recent initiative from the United States (US) Department of Defense regarding a dental health provider's compact for US states and territories. Yet, there needs to be a realization of the significance and priority for joining the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, since it directly incorporates into health care security as a strategy component. While there is a gross lack of research and information shared in this area, this editorial serves to offer such research, information, insight, and clarification to emergency management professionals on the value and necessity to openly support dental compact agreements for all US states and territories.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To address access to dental care and oral health inequity issues comprehensively this project aimed to 1) develop, test and demonstrate a community-based recruitment of oral health workforce capacity in severely underserved areas of Oregon, 2) develop a retention toolkit with the potential to increase the longevity of providers in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (DHPSAs), 3) expand the pipeline of oral health professionals willing to practice in rural underserved counties of Oregon through experiential learning, and 4) demonstrate that a teledentistry model would be applicable in severely underserved areas.

Methods: Administrative changes to state loan repayment initiatives were used to leverage recruitment efforts of dental workforce to DHPSAs. Senior dental students on community-based rotations were surveyed about what factors were important to them in choosing a practice location and what their preferred location of practice was after graduation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To determine the trends in the settings and types of providers that provide oral health services to pediatric patients using Medicaid in Arizona.

Methods: In a retrospective descriptive study, we examined the place of service and provider type of Medicaid-paid dental claims among pediatric patients from January 2016 to December 2019. We analyzed Medicaid reimbursed dental services using dental claims data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI)-based software can be used with dental radiographs to facilitate dental providers' diagnoses and to educate patients about their oral health conditions. The goal of this study was to survey dental providers and patients about the use of AI-enhanced radiographs in the diagnostic and patient education processes.

Methods: Within their Community Collaborative Practice model, Apple Tree Dental in Minnesota implemented the use of an AI software platform that annotates carious lesions and periodontal measurements on dental radiographs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!