Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Optimizing the Oral Health of Patients Through Risk Assessment and Prevention
1Professor, Department of Periodontology, and Program Director, Advanced Education in Periodontology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, Birmingham, Alabama; Diplomate, American Board of Periodontology.
Abstract:
Dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, and peri-implant diseases are all initiated by dysbiotic dental plaque biofilm. For this reason, a critical component for the prevention and treatment of these common dental diseases is effective delivery of oral hygiene by practitioners and patients. To enhance biofilm disruption and adequately assess risk for oral disease development and progression, dental healthcare practitioners should educate patients and utilize tools that allow for stratification of patients based on their individual risk profiles for oral diseases. This article seeks to highlight emerging trends to enhance disease prevention and promote wellness for dental healthcare providers in clinical practice.
Related Concept Videos
Preventive Healthcare Services
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or...
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...

