Welcome to the Dental Hygienius Blog!

This blog is designed to be a a fun, interactive arena for anyone to talk about oral health and dental hygiene. We welcome your comments and ideas! :D

Friday, October 28, 2011

Holistic Oral Health Care: What are we offering our clients?

by Joanne Peazel McCavery, RDH, BSc


Over the last few decades, oral health care has been in the process of undergoing a quiet revolution. The foundation for this change has been a shift in thinking for both clients and practitioners. Our clients are presenting with ever-increasing concerns to be treated in a more “natural” or “holistic” modality, and many practitioners desire to function that way.

Holistic oral health care emphasizes the health and wellness of the entire person, not just the health of the oral cavity. This type of oral health care is prevention-based, instead of placing the emphasis on treatment of disease. Holistic oral health care supports the total health of the client, the practitioner, and the environment alike. Other names for holistic oral health care include “alternative” oral health care and “biological” oral health care.

Holistic oral health care is not foreign to dental hygiene practice. The Human Needs Conceptual Model of Dental Hygiene defines the oral health of the client as it relates to the client’s total health, dental hygiene actions, and the environment.1 Additionally, the dental hygiene profession has been advocating the oral-systemic link for many years.

Clients may question the inclusiveness and validity of the dental hygiene care they receive. Dental hygienists regularly field questions related to potential toxicity of amalgam restorations, radiation exposure, and fluoride necessity.

Advances in oral health care and dental hygiene continue to support the holistic approach. Let’s consider a few examples and maybe look at some new ways to incorporate wellness-centered care into practice.
With an emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion, individuals must be placed on client-specific continuing care or periodontal maintenance appointments. Intervals may range from two to four months for periodontal maintenance, and four to nine months for continuing care. Oral self-care / oral hygiene instruction must also be tailored to meet client’s oral health needs. Clients that favour holistic care may reject traditional fluoridated toothpastes, so it’s vital that their oral biofilm removal is meticulous, they consume a non-cariogenic diet, and that other caries risk factors be identified. It’s important to counsel clients that desire “all-natural” oral health care products that these products are not necessarily healthier, and that there is the potential for oral damage. For instance, clients must be instructed to not “make” their own tooth paste by combining baking soda, glycerine, and essential oils, as this can be very abrasive or traumatic to the oral cavity. Careful review of alternative oral health care products is necessary in order to advise clients accordingly.

For clients that reject all sources of fluoride due to toxicity concerns, information can be provided to moderate and high risk clients about adjunctive caries management strategies, such as xylitol, amorphous calcium phosphate, and baking soda rinses. Microbiological testing is a non-invasive and chemical-free way assist in the caries risk-level determination.2

Dental radiographs are invaluable to oral disease detection and many clients verbalize concerns about exposure to radiation exposure. Most concerns about radiation can be alleviated with the use of digital radiography, which utilizes 50-90% less radiation than if E-speed film were to be used with traditional radiographic techniques. From a clinician’s perspective, digital radiography eliminates the need for toxic radiograph processing chemicals; this in turn is also better for the environment because these exhausted processing chemicals ultimately need to be disposed of.3

Caries detection can also be enhanced with the use of lasers. The Kavo DIAGNOdent® is one example of a technological device that can assist in earlier detection of carious lesions, thus reducing the size of the subsequent restoration and perhaps minimizing the need the local anesthesia and the potential incidence of endodontic therapy.4

Amalgam restorations are avoided in holistic practice due to mercury toxicity concerns. Composite resin restorative materials are diverse in chemical makeup, and although the risk of toxicity and allergic reaction may be lower than for mercury, it is still be present. No single restorative material is suitable for every client in every situation; biocompatibility testing can help guide the practitioner towards a dental material for the healthiest restoration possible. All porcelain/ceramic restorations may be the most biocompatible material in some instances, and can be used for inlays, onlays, veneers, crowns, and bridges.

It’s significant to note that although the oral health care provider has already formed an opinion about “controversial” oral health care practices, such as fluoride, amalgam, and dental radiographs, it is via informed consent and the client’s autonomy that they ultimately make the decision about their treatment.  Our role is to provide them with evidence-based information that is free from bias, so they can choose their own course of action on their path to true total health.

Holistic oral health care also supports the health of the clinician. Ergonomic practice, with close attention paid to the physical and psychological health of the practitioner, creates a supportive environment that is well-suited to facilitate the client achieving their maximum health potential.

Strategies for an eco-friendly oral health care practice may be challenging, especially with traditional infection control practices, but innovative methods are abundant and ever-changing. The health care environment itself can apply similar holistic ambitions like the Canada Green Building Council’s LEED® certification standards, by which the construction and/or modification of the built environment is managed to minimize identifiable negative impacts on the environment, through energy efficiency, water usage reductions or diversions, and sustainable practices.5 Traditional approaches that tend to be disposables-oriented may need to review the purchasing habits and consumption of supplies; the eco-minded reduce, reuse and recycle concepts are necessary to change previous patterns and practices. Waste can be reduced by switching to paperless documentation, minimizing packaging, using digital radiography, and selecting steam autoclaving instead of chemical disinfection. Reusables can replace disposables when it comes to evacuation tips, three-way syringes, client rinse cups, and sterilization bags. Recycling is the last resort, in instances where it isn’t possible/suitable to reduce or reuse; paper and metal can typically be recycled, perhaps with the aid of a specialized dental recycling company.6

Dental hygiene is strongly oriented towards total health and is making great strides with it’s progression towards holistic oral health care. Much of our practice is inherently total health oriented; a few minor or major changes, sometimes even in our mindset, can help us transition into the forefront towards the health promotion of the client, our self, and our environment.

References:
1.      Darby ML, Walsh MM. Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice. Third edition. St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier; 2010.
2.      Ibid.
3.      Iannucci JM, Howerton, LJ. Dental Radiography Principles and Techniques. Fourth edition.  St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier; 2012.
4.      KaVo. DIAGNOdent caries detection aid. Available at: http://www.kavousa.com/US/DIAGNOdent.aspx. Accessed Aug. 17, 2011.
5.      Green Education Services Web site.  Available at: http://www.greenedu.com/leed-certification?_kk=4f727c03-cdad-4b62-a948-b54628129776&_kt=7823823286&gclid=CJup-5H12aoCFYjsKgodyyns7w. Accessed Aug. 18, 2011.
6.      eco Dentistry Association.  Why reduce waste. Available at: http://www.ecodentistry.org/?whyreducewaste. Accessed Aug. 18, 2011.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure:

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure:

There is still time to support team Dental Hygienius!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

LunchBytes With Dental Hygienius

Hi Everyone,

Are you looking for a dental hygiene professional development option that is:
-  Low Cost
-  Self Paced
-  Completed in the comfort of your own home
-  High Quality

Then www.DHpro.ca is the place to go! DHPro is launching Lunch Bytes With Dental Hygienius- a comprehensive 12 part video series that offers an Ebook Companion Guide with each video.  We would love for you to join us on this project that we are so very excited about!

Peace, love, dental hygiene.

Dental Hygienius

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Golden Resource


Often when engaged in conversation with others the questions “what do you do for a living?” or “where do you work?” are frequently asked.  This blog entry is a call to registered dental hygienists to rethink their response and word choices when posed with questions of this nature.  I would like to take a moment to reflect upon how we as registered dental hygienists may commonly respond to those types of questions.  Most of us will respond with, “I am a hygienist”.   The conversation may then proceed to a few comments on the part of the other party on how they simply cannot believe that we clean people’s mouths all day and absolutely cannot understand how we do it.  For the most part, that seems to be the direction that the conversation takes, or at least that was the case for me until I made two key changes.

The first change that I made was a conscious effort to stop the oversimplification of dental hygiene and perpetuation of a feminized profession. I did this by saying that “I am a REGISTERED DENTAL hygienist”.  What may seem a benign, harmless word- hygienist to describe the profession has some potential ramifications.  The word hygienist only speaks to the cleaningor hygienic role of our work.  In addition, other professions exist that use the word hygienist in their name such as, occupational hygienist and industrial hygienist; those two professions have very different roles than that of the registered dental hygienist.

Consequences are presented by the word choices that we use.  I think that one of the main consequences is a misrepresentation of the advanced educational preparation of a registered dental hygienist. A hygienist or cleaner is an occupation, who solely fulfills one role or job on a daily basis.  That type of description is indeed not reflective of my work in any way, and I am certain it is not reflective of yours.  I was selling my profession and myself short, and that is a big consequence in itself.

There have been so many milestones achieved in dental hygiene in the last 10 years.  One such milestone was the removal of the scaling order in Ontario. Hygienists did not pioneer these milestones, as these individuals were not holding mops and brooms as they lobbied the government and educated the public on the capabilities, depth and breadth of the dental hygiene profession.  These individuals were educated professionals with a passion for oral and overall health care.  These milestones were initiated, pioneered and achieved by registered dental hygienists.

I am a registered dental hygienist and I choose to identify myself with that same passion for oral and overall health, after all my education prepared me for that role.  A registered dental hygienist is a professional who may work independently, collaboratively and utilizes critical thinking and problem solving skills on a daily basis.  Furthermore, registered dental hygienists have and continue to advance their education and role in the community.

When someone now asks me “what I do for a living”, I proudly say that “I am a registered dental hygienist”, and when the conversation continues on to the “teeth cleaning” aspect, I respond with “actually, that is one thing that I do”.  Some of my new responses include “I perform oral cancer screenings in my practice”, “I raise client awareness of the link between oral and systemic health”, and “I do volunteer work in the community on a regular basis”.

All of the above mentioned responses are a truer reflection of the professional roles of the registered dental hygienist.  These roles as described in Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice, by Darby and Walsh include: clinician, educator, administrator or manager, advocate, and researcher.

Take a moment to reflect on how you fulfill these roles everyday.  You may not think that you are, but upon careful analysis you will find that when you are using the VELscope to identify and carefully document a lesion in a client’s oral cavity, you are advocating for their health.  When you are accessing the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario website Knowledge Network to look up a medical condition that you may not be familiar with, you are acting as a researcher.  You are acting as an administrator when you plan and schedule a maintenance interval for a periodontally involved client.  These are just a few examples of the wide range of skills that the registered dental hygienist possesses.

Many of us do not realize the full potential of roles that our education prepares us for.  By tapping into our full range of competencies, not only may we find more professional satisfaction, but we also create an excellent opportunity to educate the public on the importance of dental hygienists.  Ultimately, someone who may be in need of oral health care who “didn’t know that we did all that”, will be able to access a golden resource in the health care community that they never knew existed; that resource is you.

Suggested Reading:

Adams, Tracey L. Professionalization, Gender and Female-dominated Professions: Dental Hygiene in Ontario.  Canadian Review of Sociology. 2003;40.3:267-289.

References:

Darby, ML, Walsh MM. Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice. Third Edition. St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier, 2010.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Getting Ready to Give from the Heart

By Joanne Peazel McCavery, RDH, BSc


With summer and all of it’s distractions in full swing, it may be difficult for us to think several months ahead, to what we’ll be doing for Valentine’s Day. However, February 14 is only six months away, and with that red, romantic, rose-filled day comes a very special event, “Gift from the Heart”.
I’m certain that at this point, almost every dental hygienist in Canada has at least heard of the Gift from the Heart, and some have even participated in it.
Gift from the Heart is a community care initiative that was developed by our colleague, Ms. Bev Woods R.R.D.H. The first event was held on February 14, 2009, where 75 dental hygienists provided complementary (free!) dental hygiene services to un- and underserviced people in 24 communities across Ontario. The second year, there were over 50 dental hygiene clinics participating with over 150 volunteers. As well, dental hygiene schools came on board and offered the use of their clinic chairs and students to enable more spaces for people to access the free service. This year, the event broke through the borders of Ontario and our colleagues in Alberta and British Columbia became involved. In total over 1500 smiles were brightened on February 12, 2011.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to experience volunteer work, or more specifically, dental hygiene related-volunteer work, then Gift from the Heart is an excellent opportunity to gain some insight and valuable experience into what it means to give back to the people that share your little corner of the world.
Some may shy away from events like Gift from the Heart for the reason that they may not be self-initiated.  If you are not able to self-initiate or practice independently there are many ways you can still participate in this program other than chair side.
For those Ontario dental hygienists who are not authorized to self-initiate this blog may serve as a timely reminder or motivator. Why not utilize an event such as this to be the motivation you need to obtain your “authorised to self-initiate” status?  Self-initiation is your gateway to participation in this great event. Just as important, it also strengthens the collective voice of dental hygiene. (There are six months to obtain this authorization. Dental hygienists in general practice dental offices and dental hygienists who have no current intention of opening an independent dental hygiene clinic still benefit from becoming self-initiated. In Ontario, the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario offers three options (“streams,”) so even new registrants can work towards this goal shortly after entering into practice.)
A large support network exists to help organise and/or participate in the event. Visit the Gift from the Heart website at http://giftfromtheheart.ca/event/ ; this website has all the information you will need to run the event at your office. There are media releases prepared for you to use, marketing tips and posters to print, and a place to register for the event so that the coordinator will be able to make sure you have the donated products delivered to your office or to a central depot. You can also view pictures of offices that have participated in the past to get ideas on what you might like to do with your office when you participate in this valuable community care initiative.
Supplies and equipment for community health programs can be challenging to accrue, but the Gift from the Heart event already has several large companies sponsoring by providing free supplies.  Donations are readily accepted, and of course, try brainstorming some FUNdraising ideas yourself.
Locations to host the initiative are abundant. Consider how many independent dental hygiene clinics, dental hygiene schools, and community centres are found within thirty to sixty minutes of your home. Or perhaps you will join a dental hygiene colleague/friend in another location.
When it comes to advertising, posters and word-of-mouth are a few suitable examples, but having the national and provincial dental hygiene associations support the program is ideal. (Let’s hope they’re reading this!)
Imagine the oral health impact that the dental hygiene community could have if even half of the dental hygienists in Canada participated in this program! How many smiles would be bigger, brighter, and healthier if 10 000 dental hygienists provided complimentary services for 6 hours on Feb 11, 2012?
We all know that dental hygiene is a specialized body of knowledge. We are a profession, based on our education, our certification exam, our registration and compliance with our unique regulatory bodies. Can it follow then that dental hygienists play a vital role in greater society to provide some relief from oral disease to individuals close to home that could otherwise not afford it?
The Gift from the Heart initiative allows the profession of “dental hygiene” to give back to the community, all the while bringing special attention to the role of dental hygienists as business owners and primary oral health care providers. Give it a try next year; make a difference, expand your professional network, and help spread the healthy smiles that began as a gift from your heart.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Helping elderly maintain oral health essential to their wellness


Are you responsible for caring for an elderly client or loved one? It’s important to remember that a healthy mouth is essential for a healthy body, says dental hygienist and educator Joanne Peazel McCavery.
Like natural teeth, dentures should be cleaned at least twice a day, she says. “There are special denture cleaners available. If you use regular toothpaste on dentures, the abrasive agents may cause very fine scratches, which become a breeding ground for bacteria, plaque and bad breath. Soaking the denture in a denture cleaning product and brushing them with a denture brush typically gets rid of the largest amount of bacteria.”
Whether they have their natural teeth, dentures or a combination of the two, it is very important that older adults continue to see their dentist or hygienist regularly, says Ms. Peazel McCavery. “Even after all teeth have been removed, individuals are still susceptible to a lot of oral trauma, infections or conditions that can require treatment.”
It is also essential to inspect dentures regularly, she says, noting that inserting a cracked or broken denture can cause irritation to the tissues in the mouth.
A common problem experienced by older adults is dry mouth. “There are more than 500 medications that that may decrease the amount of saliva. When there is a decreased amount of saliva, there is greater susceptibility to infections, gum disease and cavities.”
As with other types of care, the caregiver needs to maintain a high level of compassion, she advises. “Pay attention to the overall health of the oral cavity, and check for lesions or ulcerations and bad breath, which can be a sign of disease. By keeping the oral cavity clean and healthy, the caregiver can really help to improve facial image and quality of life.”
Find more tips for caregivers at dentalhygienius.blogspot.com.
Published on Saturday, May. 07, 2011 2:22PM EDT

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Join Dental Hygienius for the CIBC Run for the Cure Oct 2, 2011

Hi Everyone,

Please support team Dental Hygienius as we are participating in the CIBC Run for the Cure on Oct 2, 2011.  Your donations are greatly appreciated for this special event!

Team: Dental Hygienius
http://www.runforthecure.com/site/TR/RunfortheCure/CentralOffice?fr_id=1290&pg=pfind

Thanks!

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4b290efc493f1672

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4b290efc493f1672

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Dental Hygiene Assessment – A Fresh Start: The Comprehensive Oral Examination –

The Comprehensive Oral Examination, or ‘COE,’ is a framework for regular, systematic, thorough data collection of a client’s oral health.  It provides the foundation for safe and effective dental hygiene care and successful treatment outcomes.

Oral or medical examinations can and do induce anxiety in many of our clients.  To what degree, however, we may or may not be aware of.  During examination procedures, if the steps taken are completed from a least-invasive-to-most-invasive sequence, clients and clinicians alike may become more comfortable and the confidence in the clinician’s skills are likely to improve.

It goes without saying, that a strong foundational knowledge in both human anatomy and physiology, as well as in head and neck anatomy is a prerequisite for performing a thorough assessment.  Without knowing how the body functions in health, how homeostasis is maintained, and what occurs during homeostatic imbalance, a clinician will be at a loss for providing high quality care.  A solid understanding of the orofacial tissues in health needs to occur before conclusions can be drawn about normal, variations of normal, and potential areas of concern.

The medical, dental, and social histories are typically completed in questionnaire format.  Although the often-recommended method for history-taking is that of an interview, time constraints may prevent this.  If the history information is completed by the client, such as in a questionnaire format, be sure to thoroughly review the information with the client, filling in any blank areas, asking appropriate follow-up questions, educating the client about the oral health-systemic health connection, and providing reassurance about privacy/confidentiality protocols.

Continuing with minimally invasive procedures, the extra oral exam can next be completed, followed by the TMJ assessment.  After changing gloves, proceed to the intra oral exam to assess the soft tissues.  I strongly support Jill Nield-Gehrig’s ABCDT format1 as a standardized, detail-oriented method to document both extra and intra oral lesions.  This format describes lesions in terms of their Area (anatomical location,) Border (demarcation, coalescence, etc.) Colour (yellow, skin-coloured, red, brown, etc.,) Diameter (size,) and the Type (macule, papule, pustule, etc.)  When using this format, a lesion is very accurately described, which is a necessity for differential diagnosis.   Using this format can also improve both intra- and interclinician calibration and collaboration.

The hard tissue assessment may next be conducted in conjunction with a radiographic assessment.  The hard tissue should be examined both before radiographic exposure and again after radiographic interpretation to correlate findings.  When exposing a full mouth series of radiographs, I still follow the least-invasive-first technique, beginning with maxillary anterior periapical films and ending with mandibular posterior periapical films.

The gingival and periodontal assessments may be completed together, and radiographs provide complimentary information.  Criterions to assess the gingival health status include colour, texture, papillary shape, consistency, marginal shape, and bleeding on gentle provocation (i.e. with an explorer/probe).  The periodontal assessment is more extensive than simply measuring the probing depth, as this in itself does not provide an accurate description of the support.  Bleeding on probing, recession, clinical attachment level, mobility, furcation involvement, and bone level all provide valuable insight into support provided to the teeth.

Occlusal assessment is an area that may vary widely between clinicians.  There is sometimes the tendency to record only one value for occlusal classification, although the right and left molars, as well as the right and left canines can all have different values.  The relationship of the anterior teeth, in overjet and overbite values, is also a quick and simple way to assess how the upper and lower teeth relate to each other.  Close attention to crossbites, crowding, and spacing must also be considered from both a functional and cosmetic perspective.

There may be confusion between deposit assessment and oral hygiene (or oral self care) assessment.  The deposit assessment is the description of the locations and types of what has accumulated on the teeth:  food debris, plaque, material alba, calculus, and stain.  Disclosing agents can assist with deposit assessment, not only for the clinician’s benefit, but more so for the client’s benefit. It’s important to remember that the presence of plaque alone is not necessarily an accurate indication of an individual’s practices, but may instead represent the accumulation developed over the last day or days.  The oral hygiene assessment involves both observing the client attempt to remove the deposits and talking to them about their knowledge level, habits, motivation, and attitudes that surround their current home care regimen. 

In conclusion, let’s not forget about technology-based assessment tools.  ViziLite®, DIAGNOdent®, Velscope®, and microbiology sampling are all assessment adjuncts that greatly compliment your data collection, and ultimately, the foundation for the dental hygiene process of care.

Reference:
1.      Nield-Gehrig, J.S. (2007). Patient Assessment Tutorials: A Step by Step Guide for the Dental Hygienist . Baltimore, MA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Spirit of Volunteer Work


The first part of this blog provided me with an opportunity to introduce you to the Good Neighbours’ Club, an organization making a difference in the downtown Toronto community.  I would like to take an opportunity now, to share the accomplishments of the day.  My hope is that by sharing the experience, more dental hygienists will feel inspired to contribute their expertise in the form of volunteer work as well.
            I was never really involved in volunteer work as a dental hygienist until about a year ago.  I have been practicing for about 5 years now.  I remember that when I was in school, I often said that volunteering is something that I wanted to do.  However, I think that my situation is not different from that of many other dental hygienists, as soon as I graduated and obtained my registration, I wanted to get to work as soon as possible.  My definition of work was limited by a private practice type of environment.  Of course I knew about the other roles that a dental hygienist could fulfill, such as:  advocate, educator and change agent, but those roles were for other dental hygienists- not me.
            It wasn’t until I became more involved and passionate about dental hygiene education and met other dental hygienists who shared the same passion for education, that I really began to realize that the dental hygienist is not bound by the private practice environment and that there is a whole world of opportunity to realize those “other” roles.  A fellow dental hygienist, Joanne, shared the spirit of volunteerism with me and we collaborated on the Good Neighbours’ Club project together.  I was intimidated at first, but quickly realized that this was the best type of dental hygiene work I have ever done. 
On our first visit to the Good Neighbours’ Club my partner was unable to join me due to an emergency at her workplace.  Luckily, we were able to contact a former student and new dental hygienist Amanda to assist on our first day (we also had some great help from my significant other, thank-you Geoff!).  Amanda’s willingness to help was a refreshing reflection on the future of the dental hygiene profession.   She was happy to help; she documented findings accurately and professionally, and compassionately communicated with the members of the club.  
I honestly thought that the first day would not provide much of turnout with the club members.  However, to my surprise we completed thirteen oral cancer screenings.  We soon found out that we could not use the words “oral cancer screening”, due this demographics sensitivity surrounding the subject.  We quickly re-thought our approach and changed it to “oral health screenings”.  Geoff, who originally thought that he was there to only help us carry boxes, quickly took on the role of administrator!  He was busy organizing club members and taking names. 
An interesting reflection of the implications of dental hygiene being a feminized profession also manifested that day.  Several of the club members assumed that Geoff was a dentist because he was a “man” that was with us.  Although, he was quick to correct their assumption, this provided me with some food for thought on the fact that, although dental hygiene has come a long way in terms of educating the public, we can always do more.  In fact, projects like this one are what educates people- dental hygienists are a lot more than tooth cleaners!
I was rather surprised at the lack of donations and response to our numerous calls for dental supplies on our blog, facebook and twitter social networking sites.  It is our hope that as we continue to promote this project in the community, more people and organizations will be willing to donate supplies.  Having said that, generous supply donations were provided by Dr. Emma Hernandez of Etobicoke, ON and Dr. Susan Johnston of Toronto, ON and for that we are very thankful. 
Since that first visit we have recently gone back to the club.  Our project continues to improve and we are continuously determining what is working and what we could potentially do differently next time around.  One thing that is surely working is the relationships that we are building with club members.  The fact that an otherwise marginalized individual takes the time to have his mouth checked demonstrates a value on oral health- no matter how small, is still worth something. 
I encourage all dental hygienists to try volunteer work at least once because I know that there will always be a second time.  Volunteer work helps the profession of dental hygiene, helps the community, but most of all strengthens the spirit of both.

I would love to hear about your volunteer experiences!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Seeing the Invisible

Over the Christmas holidays I had the opportunity to participate in the first day of the oral cancer-screening project that myself and my partner, friend and fellow dental hygienist Joanne- have been in the process of developing.  The organization that we are working to establish a long-term collaborative relationship with is The Good Neighbours’ Club in Toronto, Ontario.  I am writing this blog to give you some insight and background information as to why we have chosen to work with this organization.  This is blog is part one.  In part two, I will share the learning experiences from the first day.

  The Good Neighbours’ Club is an organization that works with homeless, unemployed, marginalized, and/or lonely older adult men. I encourage you to take an opportunity to view their website to gain an idea of the great role this organization plays in the community http://goodneighboursclub.org.

Some may ask why we have chosen to work with this organization over others.  Although there are many groups of socially isolated and marginalized individuals in society, the reason that we chose this organization is that this population demographic is often a cohort whose needs are minimized. From a societal standpoint, men are viewed as naturally empowered individuals.  Socialization evolves and fosters what is supposed to be a strong male identity. Furthermore, the older adult male is at risk for oral cancer, this risk is further compounded by smoking and drinking habits. 

Not only is this project an opportunity to improve the oral health of these men, it is also an opportunity to improve their personal wellbeing.  The personal wellbeing of these men is improved by providing an opportunity for empowerment.  Personal empowerment is a key component of health promotion and oral health is increasingly viewed as an intrinsic part of overall health.  Empowerment comes from the individual feeling a sense of control over their health and as being viewed as an active participant in the decision making process. 

Though this project, we hope to accomplish development of meaningful relationships with the members of this club. Meaningful relationships are accomplished by active listening, empathy and setting mutually agreed upon goals. Empowerment involves guiding the client and providing direction, but not necessarily telling the client what to do.  A trusting relationship facilitates the empowerment process.  (Falk-Rafael, 2001)  This project will allow us to be more visible within the Good Neighbours’ Club; with frequent visits and follow-ups we hope that this will foster a trusting relationship with the members. 

As with any new endeavor, there are bound to be bumps along the way.  Part of the success of volunteer and community development projects is dependent on the identification of areas for improvement, a determination of what works and what does not, and strategies for improvement next time around.

                        As a clinician, you are only as good as your assessment tools.  During the screenings, I found that I was consciously thinking of ways to improve our assessment form for next time around.  Regardless of setbacks encountered, this project was a success.  Taking the time a see an individual who is otherwise invisible in society could mean a world of happiness to them even if just for a few minutes to look in their mouth; you could make their day. 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Reference List:

Falk-Rafael, A.R. (2001). Empowerment as a process of evolving consciousness: A model of empowered caring. Advances in Nursing Science.  24(1), 1-16.
Good Neighbours’ Club.  Mission Statement. Retrieved Dec 14, 2010 from http://goodneighboursclub.org/