CRDTS Dental Hygiene cheat sheet

Periodontitis involves destruction of the tooth-supporting attachment apparatus; bleeding and redness alone can occur with reversible gingival inflammation.

With the gingival margin apical to the cementoenamel junction, clinical attachment loss is the probing depth plus recession.

A pseudopocket can arise from a coronally enlarged gingival margin; the attachment position must be related to a stable reference landmark.

Bleeding on gentle probing is an inflammatory sign that must be interpreted with attachment measurements, risk factors, and longitudinal findings.

A persistent unexplained indurated ulcer is a concerning finding; a timely tissue diagnosis or appropriate referral takes priority over unsupported reassurance.

Leukoplakia is a clinical exclusion diagnosis for a white lesion; histopathology is needed when indicated to evaluate dysplasia or another underlying process.

An unexplained red lesion may harbor significant epithelial disease, so its significance should be established through clinical evaluation and appropriate diagnostic investigation.

Pseudomembranous candidiasis can produce removable white plaques, but diagnosis also considers risk factors, distribution, symptoms, and alternative explanations for the finding.

Imaging selection follows clinical assessment and a defined diagnostic purpose, rather than indiscriminate exposure or a belief that more images always improve care.

Field selection balances diagnostic coverage against unnecessary exposure, while still including the anatomy required to answer the specific clinical question.

Bitewings are designed to show opposing crowns and proximal surfaces with useful crestal bone information, provided positioning and exposure are appropriate.

A periapical image includes the tooth and surrounding apical tissues, helping evaluate root form and localized periapical findings when clinically indicated.

Oxygenation and ventilation are different physiological functions, so monitoring plans must not assume that a saturation reading provides a complete assessment of breathing.

Capnography provides breath-related carbon dioxide information and waveform trends, supporting recognition of ventilatory problems alongside other monitoring and direct patient assessment.

Supplemental oxygen can support arterial oxygenation while carbon dioxide accumulates or ventilation fails, so breathing must be assessed by appropriate additional means.

Sedation depth can vary with individual response and combined drug effects, so practitioners must prepare for unintended progression rather than relying only on the intended label.

Caries is a multifactorial biofilm-mediated process, not proof of one organism or one behavior acting alone.

Clinical activity, cavitation and pulp assessment answer different questions and must be integrated.

Appropriate conservative management depends on lesion, dentition, pulp condition, restorability and an effective seal.

Adhesive and restorative mechanisms do not supply universal product protocols or treatment recipes.

CRDTS testing and state licensure authority are distinct.

Use the actual current manual for the selected clinical format.

Patient welfare takes priority over case selection or examination performance.

Written preparation does not establish tactile or procedural competence.