COMPONENTS OF ORAL HEALTH SUPERVISION

Screening

Health professionals can perform a screening of the lips, tongue, teeth, gums, inside of the cheeks, and roof of the mouth to identify oral disease, especially tooth decay, or other oral conditions (e.g., delayed tooth eruption or premature tooth loss, abscesses, trauma) and to provide guidance for management. An oral health screening takes only 2 or 3 minutes. Screenings are not examinations and do not involve making diagnoses that lead to treatment plans. Only an oral health professional (a dentist or a dental hygienist who is qualified according to state practice acts or regulations to perform preliminary examinations) has the education, training, and tools needed to conduct oral health examinations.

A dental chair is not needed to perform a screening. For infants and children under age 3, the health professional and the parent should sit face to face with their knees touching, with the child placed in the health professional’s and the parent’s lap.The child’s head should be nestled securely against the health professional’s abdomen, with the child facing the parent. By age 3, children are able to lie flat on an examination table or to sit in front of the parent, with both the child and the parent facing the health professional so that the parent can help position and steady the child. For older children and adolescents, the parent’s assistance is not necessary.

With a gloved hand, the health professional lifts the lip, views and feels the soft tissues, and views the teeth and the entire mouth. Almost any type of lighting, such as a flashlight, a portable gooseneck lamp, an examination light, or a headlamp, will work for a screening. A tongue depressor or toothbrush can be used to move the tongue and view the teeth. A dental mirror or other similar-sized mirror can make it easier to see behind the teeth and to perform a more thorough screening, but such a mirror is not necessary.