First-year dental hygiene students learn testing skills to bolster their existing screening practices.
University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Department of Advanced Oral Sciences and Therapeutics, Dental Hygiene Program
Faculty: Suzanne Burgee, MSDH, RDH, academic program director
Gary Hack, DDS, clinical associate professor
Students: First-year dental hygiene students, Class of 2024
Our dental hygiene students routinely screen patients for diabetes through medical history reviews in the dental clinic. For the first time in our program, we have incorporated glucose testing into the curriculum. In addition to their existing didactic and clinical lessons, they participated in a lab session with Hack and Burgee to learn about the function of insulin pumps, drugs used in blood glucose-related emergencies, continuous glucose monitoring devices, Hba1c meters, and the use of glucometers. The class discussion included current statistics related to incidence, prevalence, lack of diagnosis, patient awareness, factors that impact blood glucose levels, and what various glucometer readings indicate. The students utilized glucometers to test current blood glucose levels and interpret the data.
Currently, our first-year dental hygiene students are taught the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease, study the pharmacological therapies commonly used to treat type 1 and 2 diabetes, screen patients or confirm the status of their existing condition, provide patient education, and refer to the appropriate specialist as indicated. Identifying risk factors for these diseases, and assessing and detecting inflammation in the oral cavity as well as monitoring patient tissue response following nonsurgical periodontal treatment are a large part of our clinical function as dental hygienists.
This addition to the dental hygiene curriculum will provide greater access to early detection and prevention of diabetic-related emergencies. Advising patients of their test results and guiding them to health resources in the community will enable our patients to have more successful outcomes from their dental treatment and better overall health throughout their lifetime.
Burgee has created a six-credit continuing education course on glucose monitoring approved by the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners designed to educate and provide clinical skills to health care personnel. Anyone interested should email sburgee1@umaryland.edu