Professional and ethical management of patients

In the medical field, especially dentistry, it is important to be a professional in all facets of the dental hygiene field. As a dental hygienist for every patient that comes to my office for their appointment whether it is a basic exam with cleaning or a serious case that involves scaling and root planing a quad, I would treat my patients with abundant respect and care so that they know I do care about their oral health care. Not only should we keep good records and inform patients, but we also should include them in the diagnosis and decision-making process with regard to the proposed treatment plan. By educating patients through proper mutual discussion, patients learn what their actual dental needs are and will be able to take part in their treatment plan’s decision-making process. Dental offices should also update the medical history at subsequent visits to ensure there are no changes that would update the planned procedure or treatment plan. A good set of radiographs and a thorough caries examination, which should include a treatment plan, are good ways to start record-keeping for risk management and are a basis for patient communication. Ethical dilemmas as they relate to patient care are an unavoidable part of health care as delivered by all types of practitioners. The change in health care has been the rise of allied health care providers. Instead of dentists making all of the ethical decisions for the practice, now it has evolved into the dental hygienists having some responsibility for assuming some additional decision making roles. This makes it even more critical to ensure these professionals have the adequate educational background to make sound and ethical decisions for their offices as well as their patients.