Human Needs Assessment in Dental Hygiene Diagnosis

Introduction

• Human needs assessment is integral in dental hygiene diagnosis.
• Reference: Darby and Walsh textbook, 5th Edition, Figure 22.2.

Eight Human Needs Assessment

1. Protection from Health Risk

   • Free from harm or danger (e.g., high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes).
   • Factors like need for pre-medication, risk of cancer, and potential injury.
   • Aim: Keep clients healthy.

2. Freedom from Fear and Stress

   • Identify signs of anxiety and stress (e.g., client nervousness, oral habits).
   • Concerns about infection control, substance abuse.
   • Objective: Alleviate fears and stress.

3. Freedom from Pain

   • Address any pain (e.g., TMJ pain, sensitivity, swollen lymph nodes).
   • Goal: Ensure clients are pain-free.

4. Wholesome Facial Image

   • Issues with self-image (e.g., crooked teeth, bad breath).
   • Aim: Improve client confidence in appearance.

5. Skin and Mucous Membrane Integrity of Head and Neck

   • Focus on oral health issues (e.g., lesions, gingivitis, xerostomia).
   • Objective: Maintain healthy oral environments.

6. Biologically Sound and Functional Dentition

   • Concerns with teeth function (e.g., cavities, missing teeth).
   • Goal: Ensure teeth functionality and health.

7. Conceptualization and Problem Solving

   • Address lack of knowledge (e.g., link between diabetes and periodontal disease).
   • Objective: Educate clients.

8. Responsibility for Oral Health

   • Encourage good oral hygiene practices.
   • Focus on clients not regularly seeing a dentist, plaque accumulation.

Process of Using Human Needs Assessment

• Gather comprehensive client history and assessments.
• Identify unmet human needs by circling findings from assessments.
• Develop a dental hygiene diagnosis based on unmet needs.

Developing a Diagnosis

• List unmet human needs and determine the cause (etiology).
• Identify signs and symptoms.
• Create goals to address unmet needs.

Goal Setting

• Four key elements:
  1. Subject: Client
  2. Verb: Action to be taken
  3. Criteria: Measurable outcome
  4. Time Dimension: When the goal should be achieved

Example Analysis

• Wholesome Facial Image: Client dissatisfied with loose front teeth, due to mobility and tongue ring.
• Skin and Mucous Membrane: Issues like attachment loss, xerostomia.
• Biologically Sound Dentition: Addressing cavities, knowledge deficit about caries.

Dental Hygiene Interventions

• Full mouth debridement, education on periodontal disease and caries.
• Applying fluoride varnish and collaboration with dentists or periodontists.
• No time dimension in interventions, unlike client goals.

Conclusion

• Human needs assessment helps in comprehensively addressing client issues.
• Follow school-specific methods for formal diagnosis and intervention plans.
• Key takeaways: understanding of human needs, writing goals with four components, interventions for each goal.