We all know that research shows the systemic links between oral health and the rest of the body, especially the relationship between periodontal disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory disease. As oral health providers, it is our responsibility to educate our patients about the significance of periodontal disease and how it will affect the rest of their body.
One of the tools you have as a hygienist is the Dentrix perio chart module, but do you know everything that it will do to help you with visual aids for educating your patients? Let me show you a few of my favorite things you can do with your perio chart.
- Use the Graphic Chart to show your patient what a 9mm pocket looks like or where there is a lot of bleeding. You can enlarge a specific quadrant or arch to show specific areas in more detail by clicking on the + in the corners and center of the graphic chart. You can also click on the Show Options button to include the data measurements.
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- If you want to show your patient any changes in their perio chart, you can compare up to four exams at a time. I would recommend only comparing two exams at a time because then it will show you a colored arrow if the pocket depth got better or worse (a green arrow means it got better and a red arrow means it got worse).
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- You can print both of these two visual aids for your patient to take home.
As the hygienist, you are one of the primary educators in the practice. Use the tools you have in your software to enhance the case acceptance for perio therapy and help your patients work toward a healthy lifestyle. These diagnostic techniques are extremely important to getting your claims paid, but far more important is educating your patients about the link between other oral health and systemic diseases.