Human Needs Assessment in Dental Hygiene

Introduction

• Focus on eight human needs assessments used in dental hygiene diagnosis.
• Reference: Darby and Walsh textbook, figure 22.2, 5th edition.

Assessment Process

• Gather Data: Health history, medical, dental, social history, extraoral/intraoral assessments, perio assessment, radiographs, hard tissue charting.
• Identify Issues: Circle findings from assessments.

Eight Human Needs Assessments

1. Protection from Health Risk
   • Free from harm/danger (e.g., high blood pressure, need for pre-medication).
   • Includes smokers, diabetics, immunocompromised, potential for injury.
2. Freedom from Fear and Stress
   • Manage client anxiety or nervous habits (nail-biting, substance abuse).
   • Concerns about infection control, fluoride, amalgam fillings.
3. Freedom from Pain
   • Address client pain (e.g., TMJ pain, sensitivity, lymph node swelling).
4. Wholesome Facial Image
   • Client concerns about crooked teeth, staining, bad breath, oral profile.
5. Skin and Mucous Membrane Integrity of Head and Neck
   • Issues with mucosa, gums, tongue (e.g., lesions, swelling, dry mouth).
6. Biologically Sound and Functional Dentition
   • Teeth issues (e.g., cavities, missing teeth, ill-fitting dentures).
7. Conceptualization and Problem Solving
   • Client understanding of dental issues (e.g., link between diabetes and periodontal disease).
8. Responsibility for Oral Health
   • Maintaining oral hygiene, regular dental visits.

Diagnosis and Goals

• Identify Unmet Needs: Use assessment data.
• Write Diagnosis: Identify unmet need, cause, signs/symptoms.
• Set Goals: Based on unmet needs.
  • Include: Subject, Verb, Criteria, Time Dimension.

Examples of Goals

• Wholesome Facial Image: Address loose front teeth due to mobility and tongue ring.
  • Goal: Client will verbalize understanding and discontinue tongue ring by end of treatment.
• Skin and Mucous Membrane: Attachment loss due to plaque and calculus.
  • Goal: Reduce bleeding index to less than 10% by perio re-evaluation.
• Biologically Sound Dentition: Reduce cavities risk from high to low.
  • Goal: Schedule restorative needs by appointment four.

Interventions

• Address each problem with specific interventions (e.g., full mouth debridement, fluoride application).
• Emphasize client education on periodontal disease, caries process.

Notes for Practice

• Align interventions with each goal.
• Exclude time dimension from interventions.
• Follow specific school guidelines for format.

Closing

• Importance of understanding unmet human needs, etiology, signs/symptoms, and goal-setting.
• Remember four components for goals: Subject, Verb, Criteria, Time.
• Open invitation for questions.