PURPOSE Advanced dental hygiene practitioners (ADHPs), members of the oral health care team, bring care to persons disenfranchised from adequate dental services. ADHPs are licensed and provide the traditional educational, preventive and therapeutic dental hygiene services, plus diagnostic, prescriptive and minimally invasive restorative services. ADHPs work in collaboration with all members of ...

Ergonomics is much broader than preventing work‑related musculoskeletal disorders. The successful application of ergo‑ nomics assures high productivity, avoidance of illnesses and injuries, and increased satisfaction among workers. Unsuc‑ cessful application, on the other hand, can lead to work‑related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This article sets forth broad important background informat...

UNLABELLED Recent changes in the law concerning air gun ownership have made air guns a topical subject and many have called for even tighter restrictions. A case of accidental injury during play with an air rifle is described. It highlights the dental and soft tissue damage that can arise from an injury from such a 'toy' and outlines its subsequent management. CLINICAL RELEVANCE This case hig...

A wide variety of dental procedures, including ridge and sinus augmentation, treatment of bony defects, and extraction socket preservation, may require a bone grafting material. To meet this need, there are many choices available including alloplasts, xenografts, autografts, and allografts. In particular, allografts, being a natural, human biological matrix and readily available have proven cli...

As dentists we are uniquely positioned to influence the rate of tobacco smoking and could contribute to a decrease in the associated mortality and morbidity. The detrimental effects of smoking on oral health are well established; thus, a structured approach to initiate smoking cessation, help to manage the initial phase of withdrawal symptoms, and provide long-term support is an important role ...

The purpose of this review article is to provide the dental practitioner with an understanding of the interrelationship between periodontics and orthodontics in adults. Specific areas reviewed are how periodontal tissue reacts to orthodontic forces, influence of tooth movement on the periodontium, effect of circumferential supracrestal fiberotomy in preventing orthodontic relapse, effect of ort...

UNLABELLED On a daily basis, GDPs encounter patients with prematurely lost deciduous teeth or, conversely, deciduous teeth retained well past their accepted exfoliaton date. The timing of deciduous tooth loss impacts on many aspects of the developing occlusion. The aim of the article is both to describe this impact and also to set out guidelines which should assist the general dental practition...

UNLABELLED The management of bleeding complications following a dental extraction is an essential skill for the dental practitioner. Extractions are often carried out on patients with complex medical histories and a long list of medications. This paper aims to help the clinician manage post-extraction haemorrhage. A review of the management of patients on anti-thrombotic medications will be cov...

Abrasion is the physical wearing of a tooth surface which can involve the presence of a foreign object repeatedly being in contact with the tooth. A 40-year-old male patient reported to our dental clinic with a 2-3 mm uneven gap between his upper and lower front teeth on occlusion. A detailed history revealed that he was a physical education teacher, and the habitual placement of the whistle fo...