Assesment
the process of gathering information from the patient relative to general health and oral health status, medical hx., medications, current needs and concerns.
Assessment instruments
instruments that help the dental hygienist collect data that are used to guide and determine treatment needs
Explorer
flexible, thin instrument that uses the clinicians tactile sense to evaluate tooth surfaces
-detect calculus
-determine texture of surface
-examine anatomy
-detect decalcification/caries
-evaluate margins of restorations
Furcation probe
type of periodontal probe used to eval the bone in areas of furcation on multi-rooted teeth
Illumination
another helpful purpose of the mouth mirror, reflecting light onto intraoral surfaces that may otherwise be dark and more difficult to see
Indirect vision
using a dental mirror to view an intraoral structure that cannot be seen directly
Periodontal probe
assessment instrument calibrated with millimeter markings that is used to eval the health of the periodontium
Retraction
head of the mirror used to hold patients cheek, lip, or tongue out of the way of the hygienists working area or field of vision
Transillumination
using illumination to direct light off of the mirror and through the anterior teeth, light passing through the tooth; helps view calculus, deposits, decay, and restorations on anterior teeth
Ankyloglossia
congenital condition commonly referred to as "tongue-tied" occurs when the lingual frenulum attaching the tongue to the floor of the mouth or lingual gingiva is too short, thick, or tight, and often results in the inability to properly raise or extend the
Biopsy
removal of tissue for the purposes of obtaining a diagnosis
Brush Test
aka exfoliative cytology; similar to a cytological smear, in that it is used to examine individual cells under the microscope
Congenital condition
present from birth
Denture-induced fibrous hyperplasia
aka epulis fissuratum; lesions occur in the vestibule mucosa and clinically appears as folds of fibrous connective tissue; treatment consists of excisional biopsy and fabrication
differential diagnosis
process of distinguishing a disease from other diseases with similar signs and symptoms
dysplasia
develops out of a precancerous lesion
epulis fissuratum
aka inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia, denture induced fibrous hyperplasia; caused by chronic trauma, most commonly from an ill-fitting denture; occurs in the vestibular mucosa and clinically appears as folds of fibrous connective tissue
erythroplakia
used to describe a suspicious red oral area that may be at increased rick for oral cancer; cannot be given another specific diagnostic name and cannot be attributed to traumatic, vascular, or inflammatory causes
exostosis
bony outgrowths on the maxillary or mandibular alveolar ridges; they are usually asymptomatic
fibroma
aka irritation fibroma or traumatic fibroma, focal fibrous hyperplasia; most common benign tumor-like growth in the oral cavity; commonly located on buccal mucosa, tongue, and lower lip
fissured tongue
fairly common condition that affects the dorsum of the tongue in which multiple deep fissures or grooves are present
Fordyce granules
ectopic sebaceous glands that commonly occur on the labial and buccal mucosa, retromolar area and anterior tonsillar pillar
geographic tongue
aka: benign migratory glossitis, erythema migrans, wandering rash of the tongue; a benign inflammatory condition with an unknown cause, but nutritional deficiency, stress, and hereditary may play roles
hairy tongue
when the filiform papillae become abnormally elongated and give the dorsum of the tongue a hairlike appearance. contributing factors can be: smoking, medications, cancer therapy, poor oral hygiene allowing chromogenic bacteria to accumulate, and antibioti
human papillomavirus/ HPV
linked to pharyngeal, tonsillar, and some oral cancers as well as cervical an rectal cancers
irritation fibroma
aka Fibroma, traumatic fibroma, and focal fibromous hyperplasia; benign tumor like growth in the oral cavity
leukoedema
variation of normal that affects nonwhite individuals, particularly African Americans more often than other populations; appearance is due to harmless accumulations of glycogen in the surface cells; asymptomatic and appears bilaterally on the buccal mucos
leukoplakia
used to describe a suspicious white oral area that may be at increased risk for oral cancer
linea alba
commonly found bilaterally on the buccal mucosa along the line of occlusion, appears as a thickened white line in response to friction
mandibular torus
bony outgrowth found bilaterally on the lingual aspect of the mandibular alveolar bone most often in premolar area, a form of exostosis of unknown cause, although data suggest tori may be inherited
palatal torus
bony nodular growth present on the midline of the hard palate; common bony outgrowth of unknown cause, although data suggest tori may be inherited;
pregnancy tumor
lesion can be influenced by high school hormone levels such as puberty or during pregnancy; may appear as a smooth-surfaced or lobulated nodule
pyogenic granuloma
an uncommon but not rare blood vessel proliferation in response to local irritation, trauma, or poor oral hygiene
staging
of OSCC; procedure that determines how large the cancer is and whether it has spread to other parts of the body
acute inflammation
inflammation that begins suddenly and is short of duration less than 2weeks
alveolar bone proper
a thin layer of bone that supports the root and gives attachment to the periodontial ligament; aka lamina dura, cribriform plate
alveoli
Bony sockets
attached gingiva
portion of the gingiva attached to the alveolar bone by collagen fibers
bleeding on probing/ BOP
occurs with gentle probing of the ulcerated soft tissue wall of an inflamed pocket/sulcus; bleeding does not occur in health
cementoenamel junction/ CEJ
point where the cementum of the tooth of the tooth root and the enamel of the tooth crown meet; 60% of the time the cementum overlaps enamel; 30% of the time the cementum fails to meet the enamel, creating a small gap
chronic inflammation
a longer-lived inflammatory response that continues for more than a few weeks because the body is unable to resolve the infection
clinical attachment level/ CAL
measurement of the distance of the junctional epithelium from a fixed reference point, the cementoenamel junction, best single measurement of tooth support
col
a concave shaped depression in the papilla
collagen
tough, flexible, white material that provides strength and resilience and is a major component of all connective tissue, the most abundant protein in the body
exudate
aka suppuration; collection of dead white blood cells (neutrophils) that is indicative of infection; it may be a pearly white to a pale yellow
free gingiva
portion of the gingiva that is not attached to the tooth by gingival fibers, and forms the soft tissue wall of the gingival sulcus aka unattached gingiva
fremitus
palpable or visual movement of a tooth when in function because of hyper or traumatic occlusion
furcation
area where the roots of a tooth seperate, putting the tooth at greater risk for attachment loss and a poorer prognosis after periodontal therapy than teeth without furcation involvement
gingival crevicular fluid
an inflammatory exudate that results from the increased vascular permeability of inflamed gingival tissue
gingival recession
reduction of the gingival margin to a position apical to the cementoenamel junction exposing the root surface
gingival sulcus
space between the free gingiva and the tooth surface into which an instrument such as a periodontal probe or curette can be inserted
gingivitis
inflammation localized to the gingival tissue with no apical migration of the junction epithelium
inflammation
redness, heat, edema, and pain caused by the body's response to injury
mucogingival junction
junction of attached gingiva and alveolar mucosa, delineated by a distinct color change
papilla
aka interdental gingiva; portion of the gingival tissue that fills the interproximal space between the adjacent teeth
periodontal disease
group of diseases characterized by bacterial infection of the periodontium including the gingiva, periodontal ligament, bone and cementum
periodontal risk assessment
process of identifying factors that may increase the onset, severity, and or progression of periodontal disease
periodontal screening and recording (PSR)
tool used to identify the need for a comprehensive periodontal assessment
periodontitis
inflammation of the structures of the periodontium marked by apical migration of the junctional epithelium
periodontium
functional system of hard and soft tissues comprised of the gingiva, cementum, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone that surround and attach teeth to the bone and provide support, protection, and nourishment to the teeth
probe depth
depth of the gingival sulcus determined by the distance from the edge of the free gingival margin to the junctional epithelium using a calibrated periodontal probe
refractory
indicates disease that is relatively non-responsive to repeated conventional treatment
suppuration
collection of dead white blood cells (neutrophils) that is indicative of infection; it may be a pearly white to a pale yellow also called exudate
tooth mobility
movement of a tooth that is greater than normal physiologic movement
Angle classification of malocclusion
system for classifying malocclusion based on the relationship of the maxillary first molar to the mandibular first molar and the relationship between the maxillary and mandibular canines, particularly when the first permanent molars are missing
centric occlusion
the voluntary position of the dentition that allows the maximum contact when the teeth occlude
curve of spee
an anatomic curvature of the occlusal alignment of the teeth, beginning at the cusp tip of the mandibular canine, following the buccal cusps of the premolars and molars, and continuing to the anterior border of the ramus
G.V. Black classification of caries
charting system that classifies caries by tooth type and location or surface with caries; also used to classify restorations and lesions
leeway space
spacing that dentists preserve during the mixed dentition period to allow for adequate space for the permanent dentition to erupt
primate spacing
spacing between the maxillary lateral and canine and the mandibular canine and first molar that is essential to allow the larger permanent teeth to erupt without difficulty
universal numbering system
uses numbers 1-16 for maxillary arch from right third molar to left third molar, then continues to mandibular arch on left third molar 17-32 ending at mandibular third molar on the right. primary dentition A-J and K-T.