Dental Assisting - Importance of Infection Control, Preset Trays, ADA Codes, PPE, Dietary Education, Tooth Anatomy

This article discusses the importance of infection control, preset trays, ADA codes, PPE, dietary education, and tooth anatomy in dental assisting. It covers topics such as storing materials and medication, using preset trays, ADA codes for clinical procedures, personal protective equipment, and dietary education. It also includes tooth anatomy and surface abbreviations. The article is relevant for dental assisting courses in colleges and universities.

Running head: DENTAL ASSISTING 1
Dental Assisting
Name
Institution

DENTAL ASSISTING 2
Dental Assisting
Question 1
Materials and medication used in dental care should be stored in clean zones for purposes of
infection control. Infection control helps to prevent the spread of infections through disease-
carrying agents such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In dental care, disease-causing
microorganisms can be spread if the materials used in the practice are left in environments that
do not undergo regular decontamination (Walsh, 2012). Dentists and their clinical staff must
ensure that they operate in clean premises and store their materials and medication in clean zones
to minimize or completely prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The working area is
normally contaminated with materials from dental care and thus these medication bottles should
never be left on top of the benches in these areas. These benches require regular cleaning to get
read of infectious microorganisms (Walsh, 2012). Cleaning also helps in maintaining a clean
environment free of dust deposit, soil, and microbes that can transmit infections.
Question 2
Using preset dental trays and cassettes have numerous advantages that include the following.
Firstly, preset trays save time because the instruments used in dental practice are normally
arranged in the same order thus eliminating unnecessary motion to pick materials from
elsewhere. The instruments are also arranged in an appropriate order for simplicity of practice.
Secondly, the use of cassettes ensures patient and staff safety by reducing the probability of
percutaneous injuries that may be caused by dirty instruments. These cassettes cover the
instruments thus reducing the amount of time these instruments are handled and as a result
reducing the possibility of accidents during transportation and practice (Walsh, 2012).

DENTAL ASSISTING 3
Additionally, the preset trays help in preventing cross-contamination that may result from
frequent handling of the instruments. Furthermore, they are procedure specific such that the
dentist and his clinical staff preplans all the necessary instruments they need for practice thus
making sure they are well prepared before undertaking the necessary procedures (Walsh, 2012).
Finally, these preset trays and cassettes help to prevent the breakage of instruments used in
dental surgery.
Question 4
The ADA assigns a three-digit code to all clinical procedure that it considers to be part of the
present dental practice. Several principles are applied in during schedule review of the nursing
practice. Some of these principles include; there is no exclusive reversal of item numbers for use
by specialists, services on primary and secondary teeth are not differentiated unless the
procedure to be undertaken is unique for that particular group, and schedule listing is only
considered for the accepted forms of therapy among others. Below are some of the items and
services delivered with their corresponding three-digit codes (The Australian Schedule of Dental
Services and Glossary, 2013).
i. Active Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy – per quadrant which has a code of 250.
ii. Supportive Periodontal Therapy – per appointment which has a code of 251.
iii. The removal of bone or tooth division with a code of 322.
iv. The removal of a tooth or part(s) thereof which has a code of 311.
v. Complete maxillary denture with a code of 711.
Question 5

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It is important to wear personal protective equipment in the practice area to protect yourself from
aerosols and thus lower the risks of transmitting infectious diseases. This protective equipment
should be provided to all the dental health practitioners who should then be educated on the
proper ways of using this equipment (Walsh, 2012). The following are some of the personal
protective equipment that I would use during practice. The first one is gloves which are very
important in situations where a dentist is exposed to blood, saliva or other body fluids. The
gloves must never be reused at any particular instant. The gloves used in dental care must obey
the AS/NZS 4011 standards (Walsh, 2012). A mask is also an important equipment in dental
care. The procedures undertaken during dental care may at times generate huge quantities of
aerosols which may be contaminated by bacteria from the oral cavity. Masks are therefore
necessary to prevent these aerosols from coming into contact with the face of the dental
practitioners and their support staff. The masks must conform to the AS 4381 standards (Walsh,
2012).
Question 6
Dietary education is important to infants, babies, children, the youths and the elderly in so many
ways. Dietary education helps to educate the parents on how to take care of their children’s oral
health from birth onwards. It is important to note that frequent consumption of sugary products
including fizzy drinks can cause tooth decay to individuals of all ages. The elderly also need
dietary education just as much as the youths. Poor nutritional choices can lead to loss of natural
teeth among the elderly because sugar consumption tends to be more prevalent among the elderly
than the young adults. The older people are at a higher risk of developing dental carries than the
young adults due to reduced flow of saliva and increased gum recession. Dietary education thus

DENTAL ASSISTING 5
helps people to develop good nutritional habits that help to promote good oral hygiene among
infants, babies, children, young adults, and adults.
Question 8
FDI Anatomical name
11 Upper right central incisor; permanent tooth
36 Lower left first molar; permanent tooth
48 Lower right third molar; permanent tooth
25 Upper left second premolar; permanent tooth
55 Upper right second molar; deciduous tooth
72 Lower left lateral incisor; deciduous tooth
Palmers Anatomical name
2 Lateral Incisor; permanent tooth
7 Second molar; permanent tooth
4 First premolar; permanent tooth
A Central incisor; deciduous tooth
C Canine; deciduous tooth
B Lateral incisor; deciduous tooth
Tooth Surface Tooth surface Abbreviation
M Mesial
I Incisal

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D Distal
MOD Mesio-Occluso Distal
B Buccal
P Palatal
Li Lingual
BO Bucco-Occlusal
MI Mesio-Incisal

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References
Australian Dental Association. The Australian Schedule of Dental Services and Glossary. 2013.
Walsh, L. J. (2012). ADA Guidelines for infection control. Australian Dental Association.