Sarah offers her dental hygiene services to age care residents in a retirement village. Upon family request, Sarah visits Mr McCormack, a resident at the retirement village. Her assessment findings support caries activity and an existing periodontal infection. There is an accumulation of heavy plaque and calculus. Mr McCormack has been diagnosed with mild dementia by the attending physician and is unable to provide self-care.
Sarah provides the results of her assessment to Mr McCormacks family and recommends they participate in a plan of daily brushing with an antimicrobial rinse as well as nutritional councelling to restore tissue integrity. The family however, are more concerned with the obvious caries than with the periodontal infection. Sarah refers Mr McCormack to a local dentist. In discussion with the dentist, Sarah understands that the teeth will be restored under general anaesthetic but that nothing has been planned to alleviate the periodontal infection. It is apparent the dentist is not in support of Sarah’s desire to provide periodntal therapy for Mr McCormack.
Sarah is concerned that the dentist does not appear to be worried about treating Mr McCormack’s caries under a general anaesthetic, but he does appear to be unwilling to treat the periodontal condition. Sarah is concerned that without first removing the heavy plaque & calculus deposits, Mr McCoramack’s general and oral health will be compromised.
Currently dental hygienists require an ‘order’ from a dentist to provide periodontal debridement (scaling and root planing).
It is proposed that the Dental Hygiene legislation allows Dental Hygienists to provide care directly to patients in need.