Dental Manpower
Sashmita Raut
Contents of Dental Manpower
1. Introduction
2. Dentist
3.Dental Auxiliary
a. Classification. e. Denturist
b. Dental Surgery Assistant f. Dental Health Educator
c. Dental Secretary/ Receptionist. g. School Dental Nurse
d. Dental Laboratory Technician. h. Dental Therapist
i. Dental Hygienist
j. Expanded function Dental Auxiliary [ EFDA]
4. Frontier Auxillaries
5. New Dental Auxillary
6. Dental Manpower Of Nepal
7. Conclusion
8. References
Dental Manpower
Definition
A medical personnel whose primary objective is to provide as promptly as
national resources permit a legally and educationally qualified workforce
to provide primary dental health care for total population.
A. It consists of
I. Dentist
II. Dental Auxiliaries
A. Dentist
Definition
Definition
Dentist is a person licensed to practice dentistry under the law of the appropriate state,
province, territory, or nation.
Dentist Qualifications
4 yrs of dental course followed by 1yrs of paid rotating internships.
Then registration in dental council and speciality in choice of subject leading
to Master degree [Master of Dental Surgery ]
Duties
1. Prevention and control of diseases of oral cavity
Eg : Dental Caries, Gingival diseases, periodontal diseases, .
Tooth loss, dental stains and calculus, Halitosis, premalign-
-ant lesion and condition
2. Treatment of oral disease from trauma or inherited malformations.
Eg: Amelogenesis and dentinogenesis imperfecta, Anodontia
Cleft lip and palate etc
3. Supervision of Dental Auxiliaries
Degrees of Supervision of Auxiliaries
A. General Supervision
B. Indirect Supervision
C. Direct Supervision
D. Personal Supervision
1. General Supervision
The dentist has authorized the procedure and they are been carried out in
accordance with the diagnosis and treatment plan and the dentist is not required
to be in the dental office while procedures are provided.
2. Indirect Supervision
The dentist is in the dental office, has personally diagnosed the condition
to be treated, authorizes the procedures and remains in the dental office
while procedures are being performed by the auxiliary.
3. Direct Supervision
The dentist is in the dental office, personally diagnoses
the condition to be treated, personally authorizes the procedure and
remains in the dental office while procedures are being performed by the
auxiliary and before dismissal of the patient, evaluates the performance
of the dental auxiliary.
4. Personal Supervision
is personally operating on a patient and authorizes the auxiliary to aid tr
concurrently performing
supportive procedures.
B. Dental Auxiliary
A person who is given responsibility by a dentist so that he/she
can help the dentist render dental care, but who is not qualified
with a dental degree.
.
Classification by WHO
1. Non- operating auxiliaries
a. Clinical
b. Laboratory
2. Operating auxiliary
.
Clinical
This is a person who assists the professional (Dentist) in his clini-
cal work but does not carry out independent procedure in the oral cavity.
Laboratory
This is a person who assists the professional by carrying out
certain technical laboratory procedures
Revised Classification
1. Non-operating auxiliaries
a. Dental surgery assistant
b. Dental secretary / receptionist
c. Dental laboratory technician
d. Dental health educator
2. Operating Auxiliaries
a. School dental nurse
b. Dental therapists
c. Dental hygienist
d. Expanded function dental auxiliaries
I. Dental Surgery Assistant
Definition
Non- operating auxiliary who assist dentist in treating patients but cannot
treat patient independently.
Different names
a. Dental assistant
b. Chair side dental assistant
Duties
1. Preparation of the patient for any treatment he/she may need.
2. Sterilization, care and preparation of instruments.
3. Preparation and mixing of restorative materials including both filling
and impression materials.
4. Care of the patient after treatment until he/she leaves, including
clearing away of instruments and preparation of instruments for reuse.
Four- handed dentistry
Definition
Art of seating both the dentist and dental assistant in such a way that
both are within easy reach of the patient’s mouth.
Things to be considered
• The assistant hand the dentist particular instruments he needs.
• Also perform additional task like aspiration and retraction
• So that dentist can keep hand and eye in field of operation with greater efficiency
II. Dental Secretary / Receptionist
Non-operating auxiliary who assist the dentist with his
secretarial work and reception duties
III. Dental Laboratory Technician
Definition
Non operating auxiliary who fulfills the prescriptions provided by dentist
regarding the extra oral construction and repair of oral appliances and
bridge-work.
Duties
a. Casting of models from impressions made by dentist.
b. Fabrication of dentures, splints, orthodontic appliances, inlays, crown
and special tray.
Denturist
1. In some countries like Australia ( Tasmania state), Denmark, etc.
Denturist work directly on patients to fabricate dentures without dentist
prescriptions
2. ADA defines Denturism as illegal practice.
to the public.
3. ADA has recommended that only qualified dentist may work
directly on patients.
IV. Dental Health Educator
Definition
Non- operating auxiliary who instructs in the prevention of dental disease.
Duties
A. To promote good oral health.
B. To access the oral health need of the community and for coordinating,
planning, implementing, and evaluating population based oral health
programs
V. School Dental Nurse
Definition
Operating auxiliary, who is permitted to diagnose dental disease and to
plan and carry out certain specified preventive and treatment measure,
including some operative procedures in the treatment of dental caries and
periodontal disease in defined groups of people, usually school children.
-Training of 2 yrs
- Dental Nurse are assigned school having own dental clinic and more than 100
Children
History
1. 1st evident in New Zealand during world war-I to improve dental
condition of young children.
2. Later in New Zealand, Dental nurses worked in school-based salaried
service to provide care for children under supervision of principal dental
officer
Duties
1. Oral examination
2. Oral prophylaxis
3. Tropical fluoride application
4. Advice on dietary fluoride supplements
5. Administration of local anesthesia
6. Cavity preparation and amalgam filling in primary and permanent teeth
7. Pulp capping
8. Extraction of primary teeth
VI. Dental Therapist
Definition
Operating auxiliary, who is permitted to carry out to the prescription of a
supervising dentist, certain specified preventive and treatment measures
including the preparation of cavities and restoration of teeth.
1. Other name -Dental dresser
- New Cross Auxiliaries
2. Their function is similar to New Zealand school dental nurse but they are . .
not permitted to diagnose and plan dental care.
3. They have to work to written treatment plans advised by the supervising dentist.
Dental Training Time
2 yrs involving both reversible and irreversible procedures
Duties
1. Caries Diagnosis
2. Cavity preparation in deciduous and permanent teeth
3. Extraction of deciduous teeth under local anaesthesia
4. Take radiographs at request of dentist
Countries using services of Therapist
a. Australia. b. UK
c. HongKong. d. singapore
VII. Dental Hygienist
Definition
An operating auxiliary licensed and registered to practice dental hygiene
underway the laws of appropriate state, province, territory or nation and . work
under supervision of dentists.
History
1. Father of dental hygiene- Dr. Fones
2. He established the first training school for dental hygienist in 1913.
Qualification Requirements
1. Should be at least 15yrs at time of admission or within 3month of it
2. Matriculation passed taking taking science or equivalent qualification.
3. Should complete 2yrs of dental hygiene course
Duties
1. Cleaning of mouth and teeth.
2. Tropical application of fluoride, sealants, and prophylactic solutions
3. Screening of schools children/ industrial employees and refer to dentist
4. Instructions in oral hygiene
Countries where Dental Hygiene is in practice
- USA, Uk, Nigeria, India, Nepal, Japan, Korea, Poland etc.
VIII. Expanded function Dental Auxiliary
[ EFDA ]
Definition
An operative auxiliary and in some cases, dental assistant or dental
hygienist, who has received further training in duties related to the direct
treatment of patient, though still working under supervision of dentist.
Duties
1. Perform initial inspection and then with X- rays available.
2. Helps dentist in four handed relationship.
3. Placing and removing matrix bands.
4. Condensing and carving amalgam restoration in previously prepared tooth
5. Placing of acrylic restorations in previously prepared teeth.
6. Finishing and polishing to previously listed restorations
C. Frontier Auxiliaries
- foundin developed countries as dentists remain in urban areas.
-work in peripheral areas to give regular care/ emergency pain relief.
Duties
1. Simple dental prophylaxis
2. Provides Basic Dental health education
3. Provide First aid to relief pain
4. Simple denture repairs
5. Fluoride rinse
6. Refer to nearest Dentist
C. New Auxiliaries
-Consists of
I. The Dental licentiate
II. Dental Aide
I. The Dental Licentiate
-A Dental Licentiate is a semi dependent operator trained for 2 yrs.
- Their service occur in rural or frontier areas so supervision is distant.
- Duties
a. Dental prophylaxis
b. Cavity preparation and fillings of primary and permanent teeth
c. Drainage of dental abscess
d. treatment of supporting tissues
II. Dental Aide
- Auxiliary personnel who provide elementary 1st aid procedures
likes
1. Elementary first aid procedures for the relief of pain
2. Extraction of teeth under local anesthesia
3. Control of hemorrhage
4. Refer to dentist for severe dental disease
Dental Manpower In Nepal
1. The total number of registered Nepali dentists = 1803 with419
specialists until June 2015
2.The male to female ratio was 1:1.46.
3. Among all; 1318 (73%) were present in the country, 1047 (58%) were
professionally active.
Source: https://www.nep joel.info/index.pho/JNHRC/article/view/18199/148
joel.info/index.pho/JNHRC/article/view/18199/14800
Conclusion
Compared to other provinces,Province 6 and Province 7 lack
service of dentists.
Source: https://www.nep joel.info/index.pho/JNHRC/article/view/18199/14800
Reference
Essential of public health dentistry 7th edition
Soben Peter
Pageno: 513-523
