Rx for caries prevention: time line for home care. A software aid for communication of patient instructions for management of dental caries.
Treatment of a caries active patient requires the clinician to be knowledgeable in the restorative and risk management issues with which these patients often present. Modifications of risk factors that promote dental caries play an important part in the long-term restorative success in these patients. Patient compliance to recommendations addressing modifiable caries risk factors for maintenance of oral health is important to long-term caries risk management. Effective dentist-patient or hygienist-patient communication is a first step to encouraging a proactive role by the patient. Others have reported verbal communication accompanied by written communication to result in better compliance compared to verbal communication, alone (Tagliacozzo & Ima, 1970; MacDonald, MacDonald & Phoenix, 1977; Baker & others, 1991; Harvey & Plumridge, 1991; Vukmir & others, 1993; Makoul, Arntson & Schofield, 1995). Further evidence shows that medical patients who misunderstand their treatment plans and associated instructions usually exhibit poor compliance to following directions (Cargil, 1992; Counsell, Geddis & Smith, 1993; Vukmir & others, 1993; Makoul & others, 1995; Mayeaux & others, 1996). Computer-generated (printed) instructions were shown to significantly increase compliance to emergency room instructions when compared to verbal or verbal + hand-written instructions (Vukmir & others, 1993). Written instructions for use in management of dental caries have not been widely addressed in the literature (Fuller & Harding, 1991; Benn & others, 1997). This report presents a novel computer-generated, graphic approach to written communication that recognizes the patient's need to be reminded that home care consists of daily cyclic events. The objective of this approach is to promote communication with and comprehension by a wider population range than what might be affected by text-only instructions. The software for this method is pre-loaded with recommendations that can be modified by the dentist or hygienist and can be easily adapted as part of a comprehensive disease management program used in the office.
Newitter
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Department of Prosthodontics and Operative Dentistry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington 06030-1615, USA.
Meiers
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JC
Kazemi
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D003142:Communication; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D003756:Dental Hygienists; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D006801:Humans; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation; D055656:Prescriptions; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012648:Self Care; D012984:Software; D016896:Treatment Outcome