GOVERNMENT RELATIONS continued chair of the House Judiciary Committee , also asked PDA ’ s assistance with informing the dental community about this crisis and ask for help to mitigate the potential for abuse .
The ADA offers dentists a number of programs to help , including a free continuing education webinar . These resources provide guidance on appropriately prescribing drugs and how to identify the warning signs associated with patients who may have an addiction .
These resources are available at http :// www . ada . org / 7541 . aspx .
Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health In July , PDA staff and volunteer members participated in a quarterly meeting of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health ( PCOH ) in Harrisburg . Dr . Bernie Dishler , former president of PDA , presided over the meeting as chair of PCOH ’ s steering committee .
PCOH is focusing on a number of policy initiatives , including reforms to the Medical Assistance program . The coalition also responds to local communities that debate whether to remove fluoride from public water supplies and assists those communities that wish to have it added . In the coming months , PCOH will request feedback from Governor Corbett and his opponent Tom Wolfe on where they stand on oral health issues . Stay tuned for a comprehensive update on PCOH in the September / October issue of the Journal .
Did You Know ?
Did you know that under certain circumstances , dental hygienists are able to provide care to patients without the dentist being physically present in the office ? Dentists must first use the ASA Classifications to determine a patient ’ s health and treatment plan and the appropriate level of supervision of the dental hygienist . ASA CLASS I — A classification of patient status developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for a patient without systemic disease . ASA CLASS II — A classification of patient status developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for a patient with mild systemic disease . ASA CLASS III — A classification of patient status developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for a patient with severe systemic disease that limits activity but is not incapacitating . ASA CLASS IV — A classification of patient status developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for a patient with incapacitating systemic disease that is a constant threat to life . ASA CLASS V — A classification of patient status developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for a moribund patient not expected to survive 24 hours with or without operation .
General supervision is defined as the supervision of a dentist who examines the patient , develops a treatment plan , authorizes the performance of dental hygiene services to be performed within one year of the examination and takes full professional responsibility for the performance of the hygienist .
Direct supervision is still defined as supervision by a dentist who examines the patient , authorizes the procedure to be performed , is physically present in the dental facility and available during performance of procedures , examines and takes full professional responsibility for the completed procedure .
Following are the supervision requirements in private dental offices :
Placement of subgingival agents : Hygienists may provide this service under direct supervision , but general supervision would apply if the dentist has reviewed the patient ’ s records and medical history and has written a prescription or given an order for the placement of subgingival agents .
Periodontal probing , scaling , root planning , polishing or another procedure required to remove calculus deposits , accretions , excess or flash restorative materials and stains from the exposed surfaces of the teeth and beneath the gingiva : Hygienists must provide these services under direct supervision when the patient is suffering from systemic disease which is severe , incapacitating or life threatening . General supervision would apply if the patient is free of systemic disease or suffers from mild systemic disease ( as determined by the dentist , with input from the hygienist ).
Evaluation of that patient to collect data to identity dental hygiene care needs : Hygienists may provide this service under general supervision .
Application of fluorides and other recognized topical agents for the prevention of oral diseases : Hygienists may provide this service under general supervision .
Conditioning of teeth for and application of sealants : Hygienists may provide this service under general supervision .
Taking impressions of teeth for athletic appliances : Hygienists may provide this service under general supervision .
Administration of local anesthesia ; Hygienists may provide this service only under direct supervision .
Expanded function dental assistants and dental assistants must always practice under the direct supervision of a dentist . If you have questions about supervision requirements , please contact PDA ’ s government relations staff at ( 800 ) 223-0016 .
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