Patient Care: Dentalhsbc.enschool.org/ourpages/auto/2015/5/22/43373809/... · 5/22/2015 ·...

Online Study Guide to Accompany Introduction to Health Care & Careers © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins116

Patient Care: Dental

T his chapter profi les three dental professions that provide oral health services,

such as regular checkups and cleanings.

These occupations include the following:● Dentists are doctors who care for people’s teeth and gums. Dentists must

be licensed to practice. In most states, getting a license requires graduating

from an accredited dental school (usually a four-year program) and passing

a written and a practical exam. Admission to dental school requires the Dental

Admission Test and at least two years of college-level pre-dental education.● Dental hygienists clean and polish teeth, teach patients about oral

hygiene, and perform a variety of other tasks. With a projected growth

rate of 36 percent, dental hygiene ranks fi rst among occupations requiring

an associate’s degree in terms of employment growth. Job prospects will be

favorable from 2008 to 2018 but will vary by location.

CH

AP

TE

R 05CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

After care ful s tudy of th i s chapter, you should be able to :

1. State the education, training, and legal requirements for becoming a dentist, dental hygienist, and dental assistant, p. 117.

2. Describe the typical work responsibilities of each profession, p. 118.

bridgecrowndental assistant

dental hygienist (DEN tăl hī JĒ nist)

dentures

oraloral hygiene (ŌR ăl

HĪ jēn)

periodontal (PER ē ō DON tăl)

root canal

KEY TERMS

3. List desirable personal characteristics of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, p. 119.

4. Identify employment opportunities and key trends for these occupations, p. 119.

LWBK951_ch20-p116-121.indd 116LWBK951_ch20-p116-121.indd 116 6/12/11 11:01 AM6/12/11 11:01 AM

C H A P T E R 20 Pat ient Care : Denta l 117

Online Study Guide to Accompany Introduction to Health Care & Careers © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

● Dental assistants perform a wide variety of tasks to keep a dental practice

running smoothly. They may do clinical, administrative, and/or dental laboratory

work, depending on their employers’ needs. Job prospects for dental assistants

are excellent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment will grow

by 36 percent from 2008 to 2018, and an estimated 105,000 new jobs will be

added.

More than many other parts of the body, teeth and gums require frequent

care to maintain good health. Learn what it takes to become a member of one

of the three dental occupations profi led here to provide patients with good

oral care.

BUILD YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Objective 1: State the education, training, and legal requirements for becoming a dentist, dental hygienist, and dental assistant.Jumble

After answering the questions below about aspects of certain types of dental occupations, use the circled letters to form the answer to this jumble (punctuation [e.g., hyphens, apostrophes] counts as a character).

Clue: The former zookeeper decided to enroll in a dental hygiene program because she wanted to pursue a career she could . . . ? “_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _”

1. To become a dentist, a person must graduate from an _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ dental school, which is usu-

ally a 4-year program, after having completed at least 2 years of college-level, pre-dental education and

taking the Dental Admission Test.

2. In the last 2 years of dental school, students treat patients under the supervision of licensed dentists,

working in hospitals, outpatient clinics, community clinics, or other settings as well as taking classes that

will be useful in managing a practice, such as communication _ _ _ _ and business management.

3. All states and the District of Columbia require dentists to be _ _ _ _ _ _ in order to practice.

4. In nearly every state, a person must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program with a

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree to become a dental

hygienist.

5. Dental hygienist programs include both academic classes and 650 hours of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ clinical

instruction.

6. _ _ _ _ _ differs from the other states in the title given to licensed dental hygienists, calling them

RDHs (registered dental hygienists) or LDHs (licensed dental hygienists).

7. Some dental assistants are trained on the job, but most attend dental assisting programs offered by

community and junior colleges, trade schools, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ institutes, and the military.

8. In some states, dental assistants must have a license or be registered to take x rays or to perform certain

advanced tasks, such as _ _ _ _ _ _ _ teeth, which are often known as “expanded functions.”


118 PART IV CAREER PROFILES


Objective 2: Describe the typical work responsibilities of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants.True or False?

After reviewing the section, “Work Responsibilities” for each profession, read the statements below and circle T if they are true or F if they are false.

1. T F Dentists examine people’s teeth and gums to determine whether they are healthy, sometimes using x rays to identify and treat cavities, gum disease, and other dental problems.

2. T F Unlike physicians, dentists do not record notes of their examinations in their patients’ records.

3. T F Oral and maxillofacial geology is one of the nine areas dentists can specialize in.

4. T F The use of a probe is the only accurate, dependable method for a dentist to assess and measure pockets, which are spaces between infl amed gums and teeth surfaces.

5. T F Dental hygienists clean people’s teeth by removing plaque and other materials from the teeth and from below the gum line, and they polish teeth, removing stains.

6. T F Dental hygienists can perform a variety of additional tasks, depending on the state in which they practice, including injecting anesthetics, placing fi llings, and removing sutures, among others.

7. T F Teeth are polished in arches, and polishing starts with the near surface of the tooth nearest in an arch and moves backward.

8. T F Dental assistants may help care for patients, do offi ce tasks, or work in a dental laboratory.

9. T F Dental assistants’ chairside duties are performed sitting down.

10. T F When applying compressed air during a procedure, dental assistants should take patients by surprise so they do not have time to become anxious.




Objectives 3 and 4: List desirable personal characteristics of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, and identify employment opportunities and key trends for these occupations.Crossword

Complete this crossword puzzle using clues across and down to familiarize yourself with the health care fi elds of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants.


120 PART IV CAREER PROFILES


Across 2. Working with nervous patients and young

children requires this from dental hygienists

4. To be able to adjust easily when a patient is late or needs unanticipated care or when the offi ce is short-staffed requires a dental hygienist to be what?

5. To develop this from customers, dentists must be good listeners and should also be able to explain dental problems to patients in a way that is easily understood

6. The ability of a dental hygienist to tell what kind of interaction a patient prefers and accommodating that preference to make their interaction pleasant is an example of good what? (2 words)

7. Holding more than one position at a time is possible for dental hygienists because this growing occupation features a fl exible what? (2 words)

8. Besides attention to detail, patience, thorough-ness, and the ability to focus on a task, being a dentist, a dental hygienist, or a dental assistant requires this skill (2 words)

10. What kind of skills enable dental assistants to talk easily with patients and to convey clear information to fellow employees?

11. The rising popularity of this kind of dental ser-vices, such as braces and whitening, contributes to the projected 16 percent job growth in the fi eld of dentistry

13. Because dentists and other employees in a dental practice depend heavily on them, dental assistants must be what?

14. Establishing oneself in the profession of den-tistry takes self-discipline and a strong what? (2 words)

Down 1. Many tasks that dental hygienists perform, from

making impressions or ensuring that a fi lling fi ts right to properly updating the patient’s record after the exam, require attention to what?

3. Dental hygienists see many patients in the course of a day, requiring them to be well orga-nized and what else to keep to their schedule?

6. To consider the different information about a patient’s condition and determine the cause, dentists must be good what? (2 words)

9. Job prospects will be excellent for dental assistants in the near future, but some employ-ers will favor those who can perform what kind of tasks?

12. Successful dentists display what kind of attitude toward their staff and patients?




EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Essay QuestionIn Test-Tube Teeth (http://whyfi les.org/shorties/147tooth), the authors state that, “Sharks regenerate their own teeth. Someday, people may be able to do the same.” Write a brief essay explaining what they base this claim on. Why would growing our own teeth be benefi cial?


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