The influence of antimicrobial varnish on peri-implant soft tissue health: case report.

Bacterial biofilm in the oral cavity and around dental implants may trigger an inflammatory response of the peri-implant soft tissue. Emerging antimicrobial products have been developed to combat peri-implant soft tissue pathology; however, limited evidence is available evaluating their effectiveness. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented case report in the literature assessing the effect of Cervitec Plus around dental implants. This case report provides an example of a patient presenting to a periodontal specialty clinic with peri-implant pathology and subsequently treated with antimicrobial varnish following dental hygiene peri-implant therapy. The report serves to evaluate the efficacy of peri-implant soft tissue pathology utilizing antimicrobial varnish as measured by percent of bleeding upon probing, presence of suppuration, and changes in implant probing depths. Understanding the impact of bacterial plaque on peri-implant soft tissue and the effectiveness of antimicrobial products in conjunction with dental hygiene peri-implant therapy may provide patients with optimal peri-implant health and long-term success of dental implants.

Evaluating Oral Health in Pregnant Women: Knowledge, attitudes and practices of health professionals.

Purpose: Complex physiological changes occur during pregnancy thus increasing the risk of periodontitis and potentially adverse pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess prenatal health care professionals' levels of knowledge regarding oral health and its effect on pregnancy outcomes, examine their current practices in evaluating oral health, and determine their attitudes towards a multidisciplinary approach to providing comprehensive prenatal care.Methods: Data was collected from a web-based survey administered to a convenience sample of prenatal health professionals in a healthcare organization located in the Midwestern United States. Responses were summarized with descriptive statistics. A knowledge score was utilized to compare midwives and nurse practitioners to physicians and residents.Results: Seventy-six prenatal health care professionals (n=76) agreed to participate for a response rate of 37%, with the majority (80%) of respondents considering oral health to be an important component of prenatal care. In regards to the inclusion of oral health in current practice, only 6% of the respondents "always" include an oral health history interview and only 7% "always" include a dental screening as part of prenatal care. A moderate correlation was found between the knowledge score and the frequency of including oral health history interviews during prenatal visits (correlation = 0.36, p=0.002).Conclusion: The majority of prenatal health care professionals surveyed were knowledgeable about oral health as it relates to prenatal care; however, a deficit was identified in current practice in regards to oral health history interviewing and conducting dental screenings. There is a need to implement best practice guidelines that include routine dental screenings and to engage pregnant women in oral health prevention practices. Optimal oral health requires a multidisciplinary approach in which dental hygienists can play a significant role by educating women's healthcare providers and raising awareness of the connection between oral health and pregnancy outcomes.

Consistency of Dental Hygiene Therapy Utilizing Various Dental Hygiene Instrumentation and Its Effect on Peri-implant Health and Survival of Dental Implants: A Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to provide practice-based evidence to determine if the consistency of dental hygiene therapy, despite utilizing instrumentation literature that has proven to cause alterations to implant surfaces, affects peri-implant health or survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample comprised patients with implant-supported full-arch fixed dental prostheses who were distributed into two groups. The consistent hygiene group patients had dental hygiene therapy at a minimum biannually and were exposed to at least three dental hygiene instrument materials. The inconsistent hygiene group patients had dental hygiene therapy at a minimum once every 3 to 10 years and were exposed to at least three dental hygiene instrument materials. Years of survival free of soft tissue pathology and/or implant failure were estimated. Continuous features were summarized with medians, interquartile ranges (IQRs), and ranges; categorical features were summarized with frequency counts and percentages. RESULTS: Among 48 patients in the consistent hygiene group, 11 patients experienced soft tissue pathology or implant failure at a median of 11.3 years; among 99 patients in the inconsistent hygiene group, 17 patients experienced soft tissue pathology or implant failure at a median of 4.8 years. The survival free of soft tissue pathology or implant failure rate at 5 years was 94% for the consistent hygiene group and 91% for the inconsistent hygiene group. The survival free of soft tissue pathology or implant failure rate at 20 years was 70% for the consistent hygiene group and 79% for the inconsistent hygiene group (P = .91). CONCLUSION: Although no statistical differences were found between the groups, this practice-based evidence suggests more consistent dental hygiene therapy increases the median in years in which soft tissue pathology or implant failure is present.

Effects of dental magnification lenses on indirect vision: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of magnification lenses on the indirect vision skills of dental hygiene students. METHODS: This pilot study examined the accuracy and efficiency of dental hygiene students' indirect vision skills while using traditional safety lenses and magnification lenses. The sample was comprised of 14 students in their final semester of a dental hygiene program. A crossover study approach was utilized, with each participant randomly assigned to a specific order of eyewear. The study included evaluation of each participant taking part in 2 separate clinical sessions. During the first session, each participant completed a clinical exercise on a dental manikin marked with 15 dots throughout the oral cavity while wearing the randomly as signed eyewear, and then completed a similar exercise on a differently marked dental manikin while wearing the randomly assigned eyewear. This procedure was repeated at a second clinical session, however, the dental manikin and eyewear pairings were reversed. Accuracy was measured on the number of correctly identified dots and efficiency was measured by the time it took to identify the dots. Perceptions of the participants' use of magnification lenses and the participants' opinion of the use of magnification lenses in a dental hygiene curriculum were evaluated using a questionnaire. RESULTS: Comparing the mean of the efficiency scores, students are more efficient at identifying indirect vision points with the use of magnification lenses (3 minutes, 36 seconds) than with traditional safety lenses (3 minutes, 56 seconds). Comparing the measurement of accuracy, students are more accurate at identifying indirect vision points with traditional safety lenses (84%) as com pared to magnification lenses (79%). Overall, the students report ed an increased quality of dental hygiene treatment provided in the clinical setting and an improved clinical posture while treating patients with the use of magnification lenses. CONCLUSION: This study did not produce statistically significant data to support the use of magnification lenses to enhance indirect vision skills among dental hygiene students, however, students perceived that their indirect vision skills were enhanced by the use of magnification lenses.