How dental hygienists actually care for your overall health

We may think the dental hygienist simply cleans our teeth for the dentist, but hygienists actually perform important assessments & preventative education to ensure our oral & overall health is protected. Keep reading to find more directly from Kari Carter-Cherelus, RDH, DA, an experienced dental hygienist, keynote speaker, author, & coach.

It is not uncommon for a dental hygienist to hear from a patient or the general public that we “just clean teeth.” If you ever say this to a dental hygienist you will either be met with an awkward silence or become thoroughly reeducated on the subject. Although it is true that one of the roles a dental hygienist performs is to remove hard and soft deposits from a patient’s mouth, our job description by far is not limited to that.

What do dental hygienists do?

Registered dental hygienists are important healthcare professionals “who focus on preventing and treating oral disease-both to protect teeth and gums, and also to protect patients ‘total health.”^[1] As licensed graduates of accredited colleges, and universities, they have successfully completed written national boards, and clinical examinations prior to being allowed to practice. In addition to treating patients clinically, dental hygienists also work in nonclinical capacities such as educators, researchers, administrators, and representatives of large corporations.^[1] Many dental hygienists work on legislative issues to help increase access to dental healthcare services within the overall population. They tirelessly work to advocate for various populations who are in need of dental care.

Procedures Dental Hygienists Perform:

Perform oral health care assessments that include reviewing patients’ health history, dental charting, periodontal examinations, oral cancer screening, head and neck examinations, taking and recording blood pressure.^[1]
Expose, process, and interpret dental X-rays.^[1]
Remove plaque and calculus (tartar)-soft and hard deposits-from above and below the gum line.^[1]
Apply cavity-preventive agents such as fluorides and sealants to the teeth.^[1]
Create customized oral hygiene instruction to instruct the patient on proper oral hygiene techniques to maintain healthy teeth and gums.^[1]
Provide nutritional counseling for patients for maintaining optimal oral health.^[1]
Instruct patients on smoking cessation programs.

Just clean my teeth…

At times patients may balk at the assessments that are being performed by the dental hygienist. Some patients even adamantly try to refuse them and demand, “To just clean my teeth!” Those health care assessments may seem tedious or cumbersome at times, yet they are critical to complete. The assessments help us to gain an overall whole picture of the patients oral and overall health.

Without the necessary data we would be operating blind per se and could possibly neglect the patient’s overall health or miss something that could prove to be critical. As licensed healthcare professionals, dental hygienists care deeply about their patients overall health and know that not completing these assessments would be a disservice to our patients. They are so critical that they must be documented in your chart to make sure we are properly caring for our patients, for legal reasons, and to make sure we are following the oath we took as healthcare professionals.

Periodontal assessment:

Measurements are taken of your gums to indicate if there is any attachment loss, recession, or bleeding upon probing present.^[5] A loss of gum attachments could indicate gum disease and alert us to a number of underlying health issues that might present. Bleeding while conducting this assessment could indicate active infection that could contribute to gum disease and aggravate other ailments.^[5] We keep detailed charts of these measurements so we are able to monitor your condition. Our detailed records help us to determine if any necessary treatment interventions are needed.

Head, Neck, and Oral Cancer Screenings:

Although we are concerned about your teeth, we are also concerned about the surrounding soft tissue surfaces. We are highly trained in pathology so as to be able to perform head, neck, and oral cancer screenings on our patients. The most common areas of oral cancer are the floor of the mouth, the sides of the tongue, and the soft palate.^[6] We also teach our patients how to look for abnormalities in their mouth, palpate their neck to feel for any lumps, and to notice in changes in their skin. Patients who consume tobacco of any kind, indulge heavily in alcohol, have a history of sun exposure, or have been exposed to HPV (Human Papillomavirus) have an increased risk of developing mouth and throat cancers.^[6] Oral cancer screening can help detect possible cancers early so that any necessary treatment can be done in a timely fashion.^[6]

I personally will never forget the patient whose lips concerned me at his visit with me. I discussed with him my concerns and brought it to the attention of the dentist. We both determined he needed to see the dermatologist for an evaluation. When he returned to see me he was grateful. The dermatologist had determined he had precancerous lesions and had treated him immediately.

I also had a patient who found neck cancer on herself while waiting for husband on an errand in their car. She noticed a bump on her neck and palpated it. She then went to her physician. It was throat cancer! She had been taught how to do this by a previous hygienist. Seeing your dental and medical professionals regularly can help them to assess suspicious areas and refer to specialists as needed for consultations and possible treatment.

Systemic Diseases are detectable in the mouth:

Many studies have shown that the oral cavity can be a window into what is going on with the rest of your body. According to Denis F. Kinane, BDS, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, ”Any disease related to the mouth has an impact elsewhere in the body.”^[3] Research has linked gum disease to increased incidences of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, Alzheimers’s disease, preterm labor, respiratory infections, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.^[2]^[3] Current research is connecting these adverse health effects to pathogens in the mouth and inflammation.^[2]^[3] Medications that patients take can also contribute to issues within their mouth such as increasing the prevalence of developing dry mouth syndrome. Having a dry mouth or lack of saliva increases the risk of developing cavities, can make it difficult to chew or swallow, and can be very uncomfortable.

Continuing Education

In order for a dental hygienist to maintain their license, they must complete a specified amount of continuing education within a designated time period for each state they are licensed in. They are also required to obtain and regularly renew their BLS (Basic Life Support) CPR certification. They strongly believe in lifelong learning so as to promote the highest standards of care, continually improve upon their professional knowledge and skills, and render a full measure of service with each patient that is entrusted in our care.^[4] As a dental hygienist we are our patients biggest advocates and want you to have overall health and wellness.

Kari Carter-Cherelus

Kari Carter-Cherelus RDH, DA is a registered Dental Hygienist, writer, consultant, coach, international keynote speaker, with 23 years of experience in dentistry. She is passionate about helping others recover from burnout, improving organization’s work culture, and helping her clients to improve their mindset. She authored the book The Ultimate Guide For Dental Hygienist Burnout, and has written for RDH Graduate, RDH Magazine, and Inside Dental Hygiene.

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