Staging and Grading Perio Classification

Change can be difficult. Especially when you have been doing something the same way for 32 years.

By now, you may already know about the improvements made by the AAP (American Academy or Periodontology) last year.

As I work in private practice, I am finding that not everyone is on board with the new classification process yet.

As I work in the college setting, we try to make sure that the hygiene students are ready with what they need to successfully pass their boards and go on to become great hygienists.

It is also a challenge to be sure that all faculty are on the same page with respect to this topic.

It is with this understanding that I find the new guidelines even more interesting. How can we make sure that we are all classifying perio correctly?

We have all been schooled on AAP type I, II, III, etc. But now we have even better tools for classifying perio.

The process of staging and grading takes an in depth look at the patient as an individual. It allows us to answer questions such as; How at risk is this patient for further bone loss? It even looks at a patient’s lifestyle and overall health as it relates to their oral health.

I’m excited about these improvements. So excited in fact, that I am creating a course around this topic. Simple steps to staging and grading perio course will be available soon.

Feel free to share this information with the hygienists and dentists at your office.

Thank you for stopping by, Cathy

Dental Hygiene and Oral Health

A dental hygienist is knowledgeable in many areas of dentistry. The following is a list of some, but definitely not all of the tasks they perform. (Some require extra certification and depend on the laws of the state where you live.)

  1. Review a patient’s health history and medications
  2. Take vital signs
  3. Perform dental and perio charting
  4. Perform oral cancer screening
  5. Expose radiographs
  6. Remove plaque, calculus (tartar) and stain
  7. Apply sealants and fluoride
  8. Administer local anesthetic and nitrous oxide
  9. Educate patients on oral hygiene, nutrition and smoking cessation

There will be tutoring for RDH in 2017. If you need to review before the boards in the spring, please leave your comment below. Cathy M. MA, RDH, EFDA

© 2016, DENTALTUTOR4ME.COM, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED