Judy Carroll investigates periodontal therapy and the changing face of the dental hygiene profession.
The role of the dental hygienist is changing rapidly, thanks to technological advances and the ever-emerging literature on confirmed oral-systemic links. The days of blind root instrumentation, and being kept in a dark box of imposed clinical limitations, are now gone.
Non-invasive periodontal regeneration, and the unparalleled level of definitive and preventive periodontal care we can now provide using a tiny periodontal endoscope, is something to behold. But, most importantly, the dental hygienist’s understanding of periodontal pathogenesis has evolved from that of ‘local oral infection’, to a more broad and accurate understanding of ‘host response’, and its important role in all chronic diseases. In essence, the hygienist’s role in the dental profession has gone from that of ‘cleaning lady’ to a more pivotal role in the dental and health care team, as ‘oral-systemic periodontal therapist’...
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