NZ Dental Therapy REX flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Informed consent elements

The patient or guardian must be told the nature and purpose of treatment, its risks and benefits, alternatives including no treatment, and the likely consequences, in language they understand, before care begins.

Scope of practice

The range of tasks a dental therapist is legally and professionally competent to perform under the Dental Council framework, including delegated tasks from a dentist who retains responsibility.

HPCAA 2003 purpose

The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 protects the public by requiring registration, defined scopes of practice, continuing competence and mechanisms to respond to competence or conduct concerns.

Code of Rights Right 6

Right 6 of the Health and Disability Commissioner Code gives consumers the right to information about their condition, treatment options, risks and the identity of their provider in an understandable form.

Clinical record retention

Dental records must be kept for at least 10 years from the last entry, or for a child until they reach 25 years, and released only with consent or legal authority.

Mandatory child protection reporting

Under the Children's Act 2014, practitioners must report concerns that a child is being harmed or is likely to be harmed to Oranga Tamariki, and may share information to do so.

WHO 5 Moments

Hand hygiene is required before touching a patient, before a clean procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings.

Autoclave parameters

A validated steam sterilisation cycle for wrapped instruments typically runs at 134–137 °C for at least 3 minutes, with every load monitored by chemical indicators and periodic biological spore testing.

Critical versus semi-critical items

Critical items enter sterile tissue and must be sterile; semi-critical items contact mucosa and need high-level disinfection or sterilisation; non-critical items touch intact skin only.

Sharps injury first steps

Immediately wash the wound with soap and water, encourage bleeding, cover it, report the incident, and seek urgent assessment for post-exposure prophylaxis and source testing.

Amalgam waste handling

Amalgam scrap and extracted teeth with amalgam go into sealed, labelled containers; suction systems use amalgam separators to prevent mercury entering wastewater.

Caries risk assessment

A structured review of diet, plaque control, fluoride exposure, saliva, past caries and enamel defects that determines recall interval and the intensity of preventive care offered.

ALARA principle

Radiographs are taken only when clinically justified, using the smallest exposure and field size that answers the clinical question, keeping dose as low as reasonably achievable.

Molar-incisor hypomineralisation

A developmental enamel defect affecting one or more first permanent molars with or without incisors, producing soft, porous, discoloured enamel that is prone to breakdown and sensitivity.

Urgent referral triggers

An ulcer not healing after two weeks, unexplained bleeding, persistent swelling, trismus, paraesthesia or suspected malignancy requires urgent referral to a dentist or oral medicine specialist.

FDI tooth notation

A two-digit system where the first digit identifies the quadrant (1 to 4 permanent, 5 to 8 primary) and the second identifies the tooth position from the midline.

Fluoride varnish application

22,600 ppm fluoride varnish is painted onto dried tooth surfaces at least twice yearly for children at caries risk, avoiding ulcerated mucosa and recording each application.

Toothpaste fluoride by age

A smear of 1000 ppm from first tooth eruption, a pea-sized amount from age 2, and 1350–1500 ppm considered from age 6 for children at higher caries risk.

Fissure sealant indication

Resin sealants are placed on deep pits and fissures of permanent molars, particularly in high-risk children, and can arrest early non-cavitated lesions by sealing them from plaque.

Motivational interviewing

A collaborative conversation using open questions, reflective listening and agenda setting to strengthen a patient's own motivation and confidence for a specific oral health behaviour change.

Tell-show-do

A behaviour guidance technique where the clinician explains the procedure in child-friendly terms, demonstrates it, then performs it, reducing anxiety through predictability.

Lidocaine maximum dose

Lidocaine 2% with adrenaline is limited to about 4.4 mg/kg body weight; a 20 kg child therefore receives no more than roughly 88 mg, equivalent to about 4.4 mL of solution.

IANB block landmarks

The inferior alveolar nerve block uses the coronoid notch, pterygomandibular raphe and occlusal plane, with the barrel parallel to the occlusal plane and aspiration before deposition.

Pulpotomy indication

Removal of coronal pulp in a primary molar with reversible pulpitis and vital radicular pulp, followed by a stainless steel crown or restoration to maintain the tooth until exfoliation.

Glass ionomer properties

A fluoride-releasing, chemically adhesive restorative material suited to primary teeth and high caries-risk patients, though weaker and more moisture-sensitive than composite resin.

Rubber dam isolation

A latex or non-latex sheet held by a clamp on the anchor tooth that isolates the operating field from saliva and tongue, protecting the airway and improving restoration quality.

Anaphylaxis adrenaline dose

Intramuscular adrenaline 0.5 mg for adults (0.01 mg/kg for children, maximum 0.5 mg) into the outer mid-thigh, repeated after five minutes if needed, with oxygen and emergency services called.

Syncope management

Lay the patient supine, raise the legs, loosen tight clothing, ensure airway patency, give oxygen if available, and allow gradual sitting once consciousness and colour return.

Open disclosure

A transparent explanation to the patient or family after an adverse event, covering what happened, its likely consequences, what will be done, and an apology where appropriate.

Clinical audit cycle

Define a standard, measure current practice, compare against the standard, implement change, then re-measure to confirm improvement, completing the quality-improvement loop.

Mature minor consent

A child under 16 may consent to their own dental care when assessed as having sufficient understanding of the nature and consequences of the treatment proposed.

Teach-back method

The clinician asks the patient or caregiver to restate the plan or instructions in their own words, confirming genuine understanding rather than relying on a yes answer.