5 tips for quality control in dental hygiene: periodontal charting

By Dianne Glasscoe Watterson, MBA

One of the most important functions a dental hygienist performs is the all-important periodontal charting. Every adult patient should have a full-mouth, six-point probing and recording at a minimum of once per year with all numbers recorded. The periodontal evaluation also includes recession, furcations, mobility, and bleeding points.

Here are five steps to make sure periodontal charting gets done properly:

1. If you do not have an automated charting system, make it part of someone’s job description to help the hygienist with recording. It takes a solo hygienist four times longer to do this task without an assistant.

2. Thorough periodontal evaluations take time. Don’t expect your hygienist to do everything he or she needs to do without sufficient time.

3. At the hygiene exam, ask to see the last charting. Make it a habit.

4. Always ask to see the most recent radiographs.

5. Make sure the hygienist knows that you feel periodontal charting is a priority. Your liability risk increases in the absence of up-to-date periodontal chartings.

Author bio
Dianne Glasscoe Watterson, RDH, BS, MBA, is a professional speaker, writer, and consultant to dental practices across the United States. She is CEO of Professional Dental Management, based in Frederick, Md. To contact Glasscoe Watterson for speaking or consulting, call (301) 874-5240 or e-mail [email protected]. Visit her Web site at www.professionaldentalmgmt.com.