A new development in periodontal exams - Flo Couper

Periodontal assessments are an important part of the work of a dental hygienist. This is because all we do is based on thorough assessment, and nothing can be done without one. But while the protocols and processes for a periodontal assessment have been well established for many years now, this is not to say there is not room for improvement in the way we conduct our exams. The latest technological advances have, for example, played a major part in enhancing the care we can provide to patients in other areas of our practise, so why not periodontal exams as well?

One particular development of note in this area has been The Florida Probe – an all-inclusive computerised probing and charting system. Once you’ve mastered this simple and highly effective system, a periodontal exam can be completed in less than 10 minutes, while the innovative software is invaluable in helping to educate and motivate patients to accept the treatment they need.

The system

The Florida Probe system offers a number of advantages including the fact that only one person is needed to conduct the exam – you don’t need an assistant to be tracking for you. It also provides invaluable documentation of every patient assessed, and settings can be customised to meet the requirements of each particular case.

At the heart of the system are two key components: the handpiece and the software. The handpiece consists of a spring-loaded calibrated probe that exerts a consistent 15g of pressure. This ensures that the evaluation is uniform throughout the mouth, and helps to prevent cases of under- or over-probing. The handpiece also includes an override button for instances where you need to use your tactile perception to overcome barriers inside a periodontal pocket. This is also useful for where you need to feel for the curvatures of the root, subgingival calculus, or the general morphology of the tooth.

Readings are recorded automatically at the press of the footswitch, and you can choose to set the system to read each result out for the patient’s benefit as well as your own. Results are then displayed on the colour-coded display with different colours and markings to show recession, pocket depths, borderline areas and bone loss. The software also has a bleeding and suppuration section, which is a particularly useful tool for showing patients their level of disease activity.

Educating patients

All dental professionals will understand the importance of patient education. However as a profession it is often the case that we focus too much on informing patients about their results, as opposed to actually engaging them with their oral health. Periodontal exams are an excellent example of this. Conventional periodontal charts will generally take the form of a graph, that (let’s be honest) means absolutely nothing to patients – they see numbers and lines, but these things mean nothing to them.

It’s in areas such as this where technology really can enhance the quality of care we can provide. By tracking results visit-on-visit patients can see for themselves the progress they’ve made, via visual indicators and ‘scores’ that the system can read out. Bleeding scores especially are a good way to track progress. While we are of course hoping to achieve pocket reduction, our focus should be a reduction in bleeding. For patients, a reduction in bleeding means we are ‘winning’ with the treatment. This is where technology really shines over conducting exams by ‘traditional’ methods. The Florida Probe is particularly useful in this regard as it supports you in your efforts to motivate and engage patients with their oral health. If patients can see their scores coming down each time you know that your patient is ‘on board’ with you, and your treatment is more likely to end in a successful long-term outcome for the patient.

Communication is key

As with any piece of technology, an electronic probing and charting tool is only as good as the operator using it. The key then is to really focus on communication and explaining to the patient precisely what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. It is at the point that you can then show patients how you will use technology to assist you in your efforts – to support you with your periodontal exam. In this sense then, The Florida Probe is an excellent means of validation. If patients don’t quite appreciate that they have severe levels of bone loss, to have a computer confirm your assessment takes oral health engagement to a new level.

The future is here

In order to successfully evaluate and treat patients’ periodontal condition, first you need to have the patient ‘on board’. This is just as important as your clinical skills as an engaged and motivated patient is crucial to determining the final outcome of the treatment. With the latest developments in electronic probing and charting we now have a new set of tools to put to use to help us in our day-to-day work. By taking advantage of systems such as The Florida Probe we can chart accurately and efficiently, in less time than ever before. We are also able to draw upon a whole range of audio-visual tools to assist us in our educational mission, to help actively engage patients with their oral health, and so provide a better standard of care as a result.

For more information call Clark Dental on 01268 733 146, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.clarkdental.co.uk

About the author:

Flo Couper is a dental hygienist with over 15 years’ experience. She is a member of the Cherrybank Dental Spa team and Fresh Smile Clinic, Scotland’s first independent dental hygienist clinic. At Fresh Smile Clinic she has was responsible for the launch of the clinic, the day to day running and developing and implementing processes and protocols.  She has also recently set up her own business to provide dedicated coaching and training services to dental teams. You can follow her on Twitter @FCouper.