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The Canadian Academy of Dental Health and Sciences 

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Vishav Sidhu

Dental Hygiene Student

Being an aspiring dental hygienist comes with many trials and tribulations, all intended to test one's desire to be a clinician. I had preconceived notions about what it meant to be a dental hygienist, which meant providing a service to clients to manage their oral problems. Before this program, I believed dental hygienists were a means to prevent seeing the dentist. Regular check ups with dental hygienists would compensate for the lack of homecare. I undermined what it took to be a dental hygienist, including the various roles such as educator, advocate, clinician, and more. This couldn't be further from the truth. As incorporate the ADPIE process in practice I have gained a greater appreciation for the profession. Each program outcome has acted as a building block to put together a student who appreciates the intricacies of the dental hygiene profession. There are many skills a clinician must possess including fine motor skills, critical thinking, attention to detail, relationship building, and much more. I have learned that what is more important than a skilled clinical is being a good clinician. One with a moral compass that prioritizes ethics and integrity about the standard of care. Being a continuous learner as there is the continuous output of new research which can make past practices become obsolete. To protect the public from harm by following infection protocols and doing dueling to maintain a centralized environment. Being able to wear multiple hats to push forth the profession. To engage in continual self-analysis to be cognizant of all changes, good and bad habits that are making you a good clinician versus habits that are making you a bad one. This portfolio will act as a tool to critique my progress and look for room for improvement as a clinician. Help me work through hardships and setbacks to prevent reoccurrence. To see where I can be better. 

 

 

During level 1 priority was given to gaining a baseline understanding of the cause of oral disease, tooth morphology, anatomical structures, radiographic landmarks, and more. This was in conjunction with clinical skills such as instrumentation, and client operator positioning. ADPIE process and more. Instrumentation was evaluated based on adaptation, activation, insertion, fulcrum, grasp, tooth selection, and such. Client operator positioning taught us how to position ourselves about the client. ADPIE taught us the order of procedures and the steps taken before implementation. Level 1 laid the groundwork for what was to come in Level 2. It also helped us build on competencies such as professionalism, evidence-informed practice, communication, collaboration, practice management, prevention, education health promotion, and clinical therapy. It taught us what being a clinician entails and what is expected if you want to be a part of this profession. We transitioned from practicing on typodonts to dealing with real clients. During level 2 we learned the importance of managing clients, building relationships, and applying what we learned in level 1 into level 2. This includes clinical skills as well as the theoretical aspect of dental hygiene. We were able to see the difference between a healthy gingiva, gingivitis, or periodontitis. We also how to adjust the type of technique we use to take x-rays based on the habits of the client. We were taught how to manage our clinic time optimally and follow the treatment plan we had laid out. We were taught 

 

 

 

The purpose of this portfolio is multifaceted as it functions as a reflection on development, assessing growing traits an RDH possesses, taking on client-clinician relationships, comparing and contrasting old and current views, and monitoring change in thinking. It serves as a reference point that allows me to bring my awareness to my way of thinking across different stages of the program. It can shine light on my strengths and allow me to analyze weaknesses that I would otherwise overlook. The intended audience for this portfolio is my future self, future employers, and future dental hygiene students. This tool is intended for me to learn to use constant reflection in developing and becoming a better student and clinician. Developing this portfolio has taught me how attention to detail and time management are important
characteristics a clinician must possess. It has allowed me to appreciate my development, going from a typodont to a client, applying theoretical to practical, and gaining recognition for my skills. I believe as I continue to build and improve upon this portfolio it will follow parallel
to my improvement as a professional. 

Program Courses

EXPERIENCE

Collaborator

Program Competency 4

SKILLS

Clinical Therapist

Program Competency 7

SKILLS
EXPERTISE
CONTACT

Health is a gift given to most upon birth. As time progresses, people's health changes based on the value system embedded in them, access to information, and lack of awareness. Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in redefining or enhancing the population's understanding of health by effectively passing on accumulated knowledge. Despite the varying orthodoxies of healthcare disciplines, they all emphasize the importance of health promotion. The way someone treats their body is indicative of the way they will take care of others, their environment and their community. Seeing the body as a garden is the best way to care for it. A garden requires water, fertilizer and sunlight, the same way that the body requires water, nutrients and sunlight. The different parts of the body work synergistically with one another, in that when one part begins to become ill it manifests throughout the body. In comparison when one fruit in the garden begins to rot, it affects the neighboring ones. The solution isn't to pick off the rotten fruit, like treating symptons, but to understand the root cause of the infection. Providing the plant with nutrition through fertilizer which promotes its health allows it to remain healthy. An unhealthy body can also be seen through a person’s oral cavity, a person who eats excess amounts of sugar is more likely to be prone to diabetes as well as have periodontal disease. “Diabetes is an important risk factor for periodontitis, and the prevalence of periodontitis is three times higher in individuals with diabetes than in those without diabetes (National Institute, 202)”. It is more likely that periodontal disease reflects unhealthy life choices rather than neglecting oral care. A client who is a daily smoker will exhibit deterioration in both oral and general health. “Periodontal disease is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease, although the risks are not the same for all age groups(National Institute, 202) ''. An idea which holds true is that oral health is more influenced by life experiences rather than personal character traits. Rather than judging clients based on clinical observation a hygienist should note that each person has a unique set of experiences and circumstances which has led to a particular outcome.Not all clients are afforded the luxury to fulfill their needs which is why you must remain open minded in your thinking. Drawing on the dental hygiene human needs model, most clients who come into a dental office only when they experience pain may be due to inadequate economic resources.Drawing on the PACE philosophy it is imperative to show acceptance in circumstances where disease can appear to be solely attributed to neglect. Acknowledging that if roles were reversed, the hygienist would have the same problems as the client.

 In instances when clients refuse to follow practices described to them, a hygienist must accept the client will not change a particular habit so you help them deal with the symptoms until they are ready to make the change for themselves. Education should not be aimed at enforcing behavioral change but to open a client's thinking in order to reorient their value system to prioritize their health. Oral health reflects greater systemic illnesses whose symptoms manifest in the oral cavity. Teeth tell a story about a client’s body. “Some studies have reported that periodontal disease severity tracks with rheumatoid arthritis disease activity(Bingham & Moni, 2013)”. This makes client education that much important from the standpoint of dental practitioners. “The increased focus is resulting in a deeper appreciation of the oral manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis. As a consequence, dental assessment and attention to oral hygiene assume an increasingly important part of the clinical management of rheumatoid arthritis patients(Bingham & Moni, 2013)”. Allowing clients to see how oral health and general health intersect empowers them to take consistent action to promote their oral wellbeing. It encourages them to be more proactive in setting dental appointments to monitor oral as well as general health. A hygienist should embark on a journey of continuous learning for the benefit of one self or his or her client. As a professional, the general public looks to you for your specialized knowledge and if your knowledge becomes obsolete then all you have is common knowledge. Gaining such knowledge allows a hygienist to give specific information to each patient rather than reiterating the same things from patient to patient. WHen you address specific concerns there is more likelihood of action from the client due to personal closeness to the issue. Self regulating morals should complement the ethics highlighted by regulating bodies such as CDHA and ODHA. A professional title such as dentist, doctor, hygienist should come secondary to the role you play for the community which is a health care provider. Each appointment should consist of treating the client in the way you have been professionally trained while educating the client on links between the treated area and overall health. A good healthcare provider should help the client make connections between their current problem and the underlying cause. This holistic approach aligns with the notion that the best prevention is promotion.

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