By Nicole Giesey, RDH, MSPTE
As dental hygienists, we can talk to our patients about patient education and oral hygiene measures until we are literally blue in the face. The question you should ask is: Will the patient remember what we are preaching and, if so, will it be implemented at home like we recommended it or how they heard it?
A good practice to get into is to give the patient a simplistic (not overwhelming) informational resource on the products you are recommending and how to use them. Many manufacturers provide you with these important patient education handouts. Below some are listed along with the topics.
Quicker access links to the websites listed above follow:
- Colgate: http://www.colgateprofessional.com/patient-education
- Crest and Oral-B: https://www.dentalcare.com/en-us/patient-education/patient-materials
- GumChucks: http://www.gumchucksprofloss.com/dental-professionals/resources/
- ACT Mouthrinse: http://www.actoralcare.com/act-for-kids/usage-guidelines/
All of the information found is very useful for handouts, but the websites are so informational to patients. Every website has a patient tab with an overabundance of information.
Sunstar GUM also has an awesome website with a lot of information. As far as printing out patient education forms, it’s lacking in the actual formal PDFs to distribute.
With the advancement of technology and informational wave of iPads and tablets, a really good resource that is free and maybe even a little better than handouts is YouTube. There is an abundance of videos from manufacturers about proper brushing, gingivitis, periodontal disease and so forth. YouTube not only allows the patient to learn, but they can visually learn the proper way to use a product via demonstration of its use.
Patient education plays such an important role in our appointment time with the patient. It is our goal to shift the education to them and put the responsibility to maintain their oral health through proper oral health measures. When we are explaining procedures to the patient, it is nice to give the patients informational brochures but now product websites and videos are readily available with a patient’s section for education on that product. Putting together a chart of information you would like them to access or even texting or emailing the patient the links while you are waiting for the doctor is also nice. They can access the information at their leisure and there is also zero cost to the patient.
You can also stream the videos on how-to procedures while you wait chairside. There are endless possibilities, and the best part is that the manufacturers are happy to provide you the information for free to promote their product and education the patient at the same time. It truly is a win-win when you utilize the manufacturers’ informational sites. Getting the right tools in the patients’ hands will arm them with endless educational and simplistic information that they can relate to and learn from.
Nicole Giesey, RDH, MSPTE, enjoys researching, writing, and educating on topics related to dental hygiene. She is the dental hygiene product specialist for Maxill. She can be contacted at [email protected].
