The Importance of The Dental Hygienist in Implantology: A Narrative Review

Dental implants have become a standard treatment in the replacement of missing teeth. If maintaining good oral health in a mouth without prosthetic elements requires proper self oral hygiene and professional maintenance, preserving implant health requires even more accuracy and consistency. Dental hygienists are fundamental in the management of the bacterial biofilm, in the context of prevention, education and professional treatment of the patient. This review explores the importance and the role of the dental hygienist in oral implantology.

Analysis of follow-up changes in incidence of oral diseases in Novosibirsk schoolchildren during the preventive treatment program

Relevance. The Russian Federation state program „Healthcare system development”, approved on April 15, 2014, relies on the introduction of the specialist „Dental Hygienist” in the system of school dentistry service as the main executor of the preventive treatment program. Government resolution #1640 as of 26.12.2017, which is to be realized during 2018-2025, included the agency project „“Primary prevention of oral diseases among the population of the Russian Federation”. The realization of the oral disease prevention project (professional cleaning, fluoride local application, permanent molar fissure sealing) is a basic program that includes necessary steps to reduce oral disease incidence rate and caries increase in schoolchildren. Administration of oral care products (fluoride varnish, sealants) immediately after tooth eruption, i.e., during formation and mineralization of the hard dental tissues, is more relevant, than the use of these products after the mineralization is complete. Aim – to assess the effectiveness of oral disease preventive measures by the analysis of the follow-up changes in the dental status of schoolchildren.Materials and methods. 115 first-grade schoolchildren of two Novosibirsk general schools participated in the study. The schoolchildren were evenly divided into 2 groups: prevention and comparison. The parents and children of both groups were trained how to take care of the oral cavity at home. The children in both groups were examined, oral hygiene indices were determined and the teeth were treated. The preventive treatment in the first groups was administered with the following materials: fluoride varnish with innovative ingredient, tricalcium phosphate, and low fill fluoride-releasing light-cured sealant. The materials are certified and approved for use in children in the Russian Federation. The individual preventive treatment was not performed in the second group. The effectiveness of the preventive treatment was assessed by the analysis of follow-up changes in the dental status of the schoolchildren.Results. The school preventive treatment program demonstrated a significant reduction of caries increase rate – up to 31.79% in the prevention group, which forms the basis for performance optimization of the school dental office where the priority belongs to a dental hygienist.Conclusions. The results of the preventive treatment program with the participation of a pediatric dentist and a dental hygienist held in three Novosibirsk schools confirmed its high medical effectiveness.

Effects of Extraoral Suction on Droplets and Aerosols for Infection Control Practices

Dental professionals are at increased risk of being infected with airborne pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 because they are often exposed to droplets/aerosols production during dental treatment. To scientifically clear the effects of extraoral and oral suctions on the droplets and aerosols produced by dental treatments using an ultrasonic scaler was analyzed. The adenosine triphosphate and bacteria in droplets and aerosols produced during simulated scaling were quantitatively observed by reactions with luciferin/luciferase and incubation in culture plates to grow bacteria, respectively. The protection against spreading droplets and aerosols by oral and extraoral suctions was recognized, and the areas were limited to the left and posterior sides of the dental chair head when a right-handed dentist and dental hygienist performed scaling. Extraoral suction is a very useful tool for reducing the infection risk of COVID-19 in dental care, but the effective area is limited depending on physical characteristics of dentist and dental hygienist.

Dental hygienist in Qatar: Review and challenges

Bachelor's and diploma dental hygienists' practices vary in different countries regarding education duration, the scope of practice, salary, and challenges. The present review article aims to posit a comparison of the dental hygiene profession in Qatar and other world's countries as US, UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, and GCC countries; to identify the challenges and gaps of dental hygiene in the dental hygiene field in Qatar, and to set suggestions for dental hygienists' associations worldwide to resolve the present challenges that dental hygienists face. The review used various articles to explore the history of dental hygienists and compare the profession in different countries. The study adopted the scholarly publications that the researchers obtained from academic databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, published theses and dissertations, a popular news article, the trade sources commonly referred to as the trade publications, and government documents. The findings suggest that lower salaries and limited scope of work are eminent in Asia and GCC countries. European countries have different legislation for dental hygienists, making their scope of work limited to the country where the professionals study. This review also suggests the high level of stress, burnout, and musculoskeletal disorders among dental hygienist professions in most countries. We recommend resolving the dental hygienists' challenges by increasing awareness among the dentists, medical professions, and general public, standardizing their scope of practice, assigning those assistants, and giving those technologies to simplify their work.