Dental Hygiene Diagnosis and Care Planning
The dental hygiene diagnosis translates assessment data into a human-needs statement that the hygienist is licensed to treat - for example, "risk for infection related to biofilm accumulation" - rather than a dental diagnosis such as "periodontitis." You must know the ADHA human needs conceptual model and be able to write measurable, patient-centered goals with time frames, then select interventions with rationales, sequence care, and set a re-evaluation plan. Care planning includes establishing priorities (urgent vs. elective), determining appointment sequencing (e.g., quadrant scaling, nonsurgical periodontal therapy, re-evaluation at 4–6 weeks), and coordinating with the dentist and other providers. Consider the patient's values, finances, access, and systemic health, and build in health promotion and education. Re-evaluation compares outcomes with goals and determines whether to continue, refer, or maintain.
Traps: writing a dental diagnosis instead of a hygiene diagnosis; setting vague goals ("improve oral hygiene") without measurable criteria; and forgetting re-evaluation intervals after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. Questions may ask what to do first - usually address urgent needs and informed consent before elective treatment. Another trap is planning definitive treatment before re-evaluation, since tissue response may change the plan.
Rule of thumb: a goal must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound; pair every intervention with a rationale and an evaluation method.
Worked example: Instead of "patient will brush better," write: "Within 4 weeks, the patient will demonstrate modified bass brushing twice daily and reduce plaque index from 60% to 30%, verified at re-evaluation." Then schedule re-evaluation and document the outcome.