Dental Hygienist's Core Values In Dental Care

Dental hygiene is a unique field. It is the only healthcare field that is preventative based, meaning that the goal of the dental hygienist is to educate their patients on how to improve and maintain good oral health while preventing disease. Dental hygienists have a list of core values that were established by the American Dental Hygienist Association (ADHA) in 1927. These values are a crucial part of the profession and must be implemented everyday by the hygienist to provide care and make sure each patients needs are met. These values consist of autonomy, confidentiality, societal trust, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice and fairness, and veracity. To complete the dental hygiene diagnosis, all these values must be implemented. The acronym A.D.P.I.E.D explains the dental hygiene process of care, and the seven core values must be

For a patient with asthma, it is important for the dental hygienist to recognize that stress itself can induce an asthma attack as well as aerosols containing particles and the use of high-speed equipment. These triggers can be avoided by keeping the area clean and well ventilated. Shorter appointments at a certain time of day may also be required for a high anxiety patient with asthma. The number one recommendation regarding oral care would be to brush and floss daily.

The implementing aspect of A.D.P.I.E.D relies heavily on the patients themselves. It is the dental hygienists responsilbilty to inform their patient of the risks of poor dental hygiene and to educate them on what to do at home to maintain good oral health. However, as dental hygienists, we can only hope that our patients are taking care of their teeth at home.

Evaluation is when the dental hygienist gives feedback on the effectiveness of the plan and implementation. Most people only go to the dentist once or twice a year, so these visits are crucial to see if the goals and treatment plan were