Do you see?

30 July 2012
Volume 28 · Issue 7

How technology can improve patient understanding of their oral health problems.

Dentistry today has attained a level of technical achievement that would surely seem fantastical to the backstreet barbers of only a century and a half ago that were tasked with wrenching out painful teeth from wincing clients. The treatment of dental disease now has a wealth of science and research behind it and a growing spectrum of advanced technology ahead of it, enabling once complex procedures to be performed with greater efficacy than ever before.

Yet there is always room for improvement, inviting new ideas and refining existing ones. Dental professionals can only treat the problems that they can diagnose and this is often the biggest hurdle. Diagnosis of disease such as caries is not always straightforward, frequently requiring an exacerbation of the signs and symptoms before a clear detection is possible. Clearly, this does not serve the patients well, who would obviously benefit from early detection and intervention. Diagnosis is also compounded by the anatomy of the mouth, full of dark corners, moist vestibules and pockets that mirrors find difficult to reach. And when they are within sight, the inevitable distance between the operator's head and the locus of disease ferments only frustration at not having a close enough view.

Another perpetual challenge in dentistry is the explanation of problems to the patients. Only through effective communication can a patient be enlightened as to their dental needs and thereby accept the recommended treatment. However, the confusing fog technical jargon can render even the savviest patient bewildered. Not seeing the problem for themselves, they are reliant on the word of the dentist and sometimes this word is simply not enough. To feel in control of their own health, patients need to feel fully informed about it, and this depends on deft communication from their dentist.

For the patient's benefit and their own, dentists also need to document the disease they find. Keeping clear and transparent records is important and enables conference between fellow professionals. Referral to a specialist necessitates a letter of succinct description, but often that specialist will not make a clear diagnosis until he can see the problem for him or herself. This requires additional time that perhaps a suffering patient may not have.

The intra-oral camera has within its power the capacity to improve diagnosis, education and documentation of dental disease.

Being able to see and detect disease, especially at its earliest onset, is of immeasurable benefit to both the dentist and the patient. The VistaCam iX from Durr has within its repertoire an interchangeable proof head to detect plaque and caries, saving the patient from an unnecessary descent down the restorative spiral. The innovative 360 degree capture ring means that every shadow is now accessible, and the macro head homes in and zooms on the smallest of defects. Diagnosis is simplified and made more effective, with high-resolution images that leave nothing to obscurity. The unit also holds the promise of additional heads being added in the future, which will further enhance its range of application.

Visualisation of the teeth and mouth is a highly effective educational device that not only brings the patients closer to their own health, but in doing so also motivates them to change it for the better. It levels the playing field for all dentists who may struggle to find an adequate substitute for technical terminology, enabling them to bypass a thousand words by simply demonstrating the problem with a picture. When a patient can see the caries or calculus in high resolution on a screen in front of them, they feel more obliged to undertake the necessary treatment to remedy those problems.