Inside Scoop By Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, BS, Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

In this issue of Hygienetown Magazine, a clinical case is presented for the first time. In this case of root reshaping, the periodontist broadened the furcation with a bur to make oral hygiene easier. The reshaping eliminated the narrow, deep, horizontal furcation opening just below the crown margin. Follow-up photos will be posted when they become available. Check out the “CASE PRES-furcation” message board on www.hygienetown.com to see if they’re posted yet. Do you have photos of patients you’ve treated? Post them on Hygienetown.com. We can all learn from what others are doing.

With 158 posts and 2,673 views, “Root Planing vs. Debridement” is the second most popular message board on Hygienetown.com. According to Medical-dictionary.com, “debridement” is a term of French origin for the removal of necrotic, infected or foreign material from a wound. The word is derived from “débrider,” to unbridle. It compares constricted bands of tissue to the leather straps of horse bridles. The difference in pronunciation of either “di-brd-mnt” or “dé-bride-ment” is the difference between French and English. The “Root Planing vs. Debridement” message board points out that despite the definition, some hygienists see it as a “gross scaling” while others see it as a very definitive procedure, more thorough than root planing. It’s all in the definition you use, and we aren’t all using the same definition. What’s your definition and do you use the French or English pronunciation of the word “debridement”?

The most popular message board on Hygienetown is about salary. You’ve told us this is an important topic, and we’re listening. This issue’s Profile in Oral Health features information on how you can manage the business of dental hygiene within the office where you work; for better patient care, better financial success for the entire practice and a direct impact on your salary. Answers to this month’s Townie Poll add your input on the subject. I was surprised to find that 66% of hygienists in this poll are paid an hourly rate. Another surprise was only 8% know the overhead costs of their dental hygiene department. With the worksheet and the information in the feature article, this will be easy to calculate. It’s all part of the business of dental hygiene.

The Suvan-O’Hehir implant curettes* are titanium coated to prevent damage to implant surfaces. The first magnified photographs to be published of the actual instrument blade on an implant are in this issue page 14, New Product Profiles. Jean Suvan, RDH, MS captured what a stainless-steel instrument and the new implant curette do to the implant surface.

Perio Reports includes two research summaries dealing with different fluoride products. One is a fluoride gel compared to brushing for the reversal of white-spot lesions. The other is an Orabase product that provides a new fluoride delivery system for adults with mental handicaps that prevent them for doing their own oral hygiene. To test the new product, dental clinicians were recruited so they could be both test subject and researcher and collect their own saliva samples at home, before and after the overnight test period. To learn the results, read the summary in Perio Reports, page 4.

Remember, networking with your peers is an important adjunct to your career. I invite you to join us at Hygienetown.com.

*Neither Trisha O’Hehir, RDH, BS nor Jean Suvan, RDH, MS receive any royalties or compensation for the Suvan-O’Hehir Implant Curette.