You are preparing the treatment room for a 46 MOD Composite resin restoration. Your operator has requested that you prepare everything that is needed for this treatment and get it ready to go. He does not want you to access the drawers once the patient has entered the treatment room.
Task
Prepare all the Instruments that are required for the treatment tray, including items that would be needed for evacuation. The patient will require local anaesthesia, and all items for this must be prepared and ready to go. Your operator routinely uses a rubber dam for isolation of the tooth when he does a composite resin. These need to be ready for the operator to prepare. Identify in order all the materials that your operator will use for this treatment. (Min 120 words)
Case Study 2
Mr Walker is a new patient who has arrived for his initial appointment at your dental practice. Before treatment can commence, you need to obtain from him his full personal, medical, and dental details.
Task
Explain:
• The importance of taking complete personal, medical, and dental details
• How you encourage Mr Walker to provide complete information without embarrassment
• How you maintain the confidentiality of his information
• How you accurately record Mr Walker’s information and how you verify the information in accordance with the operator’s wishes
Case Study 3
In case study 1, you were asked to prepare the surgery for a composite resin restoration that included preparation of a local anaesthetic.
Task
In your own words, explain:
• Use of topical anaesthetic
• How you would transfer the unused local anaesthetic syringe to the operator to ensure infection control and safety guidelines are met
• How you ensure that the operator has a clear field of vision
• How you monitor the patient’s well-being during the procedure and what actions you may take to support the patient and operator
• Your method of disassembling the cartridge and disposal of the needle and cartridge after use to ensure that practice protocols and sustainable practices are met
Case Study 4
Part of your role as a dental assistant is to assist in maintaining and storing instruments, which requires you to routinely ensure that instruments are in good working order and that they are stored according to workplace instructions. You also need to notify the operator of any deficiencies in the instruments and report faults promptly.
Task
• Apart from sharpening, what other things should you check for when inspecting equipment and instruments?
• Following reprocessing, instrument trays or cassettes should be stored to avoid contamination. Explain how you do this and also when a package is considered to be non-sterile.
Knowledge Questions
Please carefully read through each question posed. In your response, please use terms and phrases that you defined in your previous assessment. Reflect on your learning unit and your own research. Please aim to present 180 words for each response to fully demonstrate your knowledge in this area of study. A minimum of 150 words for each response is required.
Please note: Where the word count is not met, your submission will be returned to you for re-working.
- Explain why dental materials and medicament bottles should be stored in the clean zone of the treatment room and not left on the bench top of the working area.
- What are the advantages of using pre-set dental trays and cassettes?
- What is your understanding of the FDI World Dental Federation numbering system and its benefits?
- The Australian Schedule of Dental Services and Glossary details standard dental treatments and assigns a three-digit code number to items and clinical procedures. List at least five items or services delivered and their three-digit code numbers.
- Explain the personal protective equipment you routinely use in the dental surgery and any standards of PPE that must be met.
Sample Solution