Salivary Diagnostics

The Necessity of Two Patient Specific Identifiers

Posted on by Access Genetics/OralDNA Clinical Lab Team
All healthcare industries strive for safety and quality control, especially when handling patient information. With the OralDNA® ordering process, some may wonder why it is so important to have two matching patient specific identifiers on the OralDNA specimen and test requisition. In this week’s blog, we will share with you the importance of patient specific identifiers and how you can accurately identify your patients’ samples. According to the College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelin...
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Class II Generalized Periodontitis and Rheumatoid Arthritis Requesting Implant Placement

Posted on by Patricia Lugo DMD
Challenge: To establish periodontal remission by addressing the clinical manifestations of periodontal disease and altering the oral flora in order to lower the incidence of periodontal disease relapse. Bacterial management will eliminate a source of total body inflammation and increase success of implant placement. Background: The patient is a 66 year-old-male with rheumatoid arthritis, taking Lisinopril and is a potential candidate for implant to restore #19. Patient’s daily home care r...
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Children Get Gum Disease Too

Posted on by Barbara Tritz RDH
Parents always ask me, “Does my child have any cavities?” What I also want parents to wonder and ask; “Does my child have gum disease?” People - parents - don’t know what they don’t know! Too often, we dismiss a “little bleeding” or calculus buildup in children (never mind adults) as poor oral hygiene and admonish them to brush and floss. Yet, without addressing the root causes, this inflammation does not resolve. Evolve your practice: look deeper into bleeding gums in children and ...
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Hygienist Highlight: Baltimore Uptown Dentist

Posted on by Sherri Feldman RDH
Can you briefly describe your experience and background as a dental hygienist? I have been a hygienist for almost 40 years and have been working with a phase contrast microscope for the last 25 years. Using the microscope has helped me view the mouth’s connection to whole health. What motivated you to become a dental hygienist? I love smiles and want to help people have the healthiest mouth possible. Now, it’s a healthy mouth and body! How do you stay updated on the latest dental hyg...
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Gratitude Beyond the Feast

Posted on by Abby McMillan
Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday marked by a feast. The Thanksgiving season invites us to pause, take a breath, and acknowledge the blessings that often go unnoticed in our day to day lives. Our team at OralDNA® Labs is grateful for each and every one of you and for your dedication to advancing patient care through salivary diagnostics. This Thanksgiving, we want to extend our thanks for your trust in our services and for allowing us to be a part of your commitment to your patients’ ...
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How Do You Speak Joint/Musculoskeletal Health and Periodontal Disease To Your Patients?

Posted on by Jill Wade DDS, MAGD
Dr. McGlennen: Like periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition. But unlike periodontitis, where the genesis of the inflammation is the complex infections in the gingival sulcus, the cause of RA is unknown. Recent studies, however, provide insights that, in part, oral bacteria play a role in evoking an abnormal immune response that then leads to joint disease. In a recent meta-analysis of 21 separate studies, there was a significantly increased risk of period...
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Interview with Robert Benavides DDS

Posted on by Robert Benavides DDS
Dr. McGlennen: What are the top two things to consider when you select a patient for testing? Robert Benavides DDS: It's crucial to evaluate both the Dental and Medical histories to understand their intricate interplay in the Mouth-Body Connection®. Our goal is to analyze how these histories manifest in our patient’s tissues. Utilizing objective testing data helps us discern deeper insights and offer more accurate and personalized treatment.  Dr. McGlennen: What are the biggest benefits to usi...
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OralDNA® Labs’ Consultation and Clinical Coaching Services

Posted on by Amanda Seaton, B.S.
With our network of OralDNA® providers growing every day, we wanted to take the opportunity to introduce our Director of Clinical Education, Diane Larson, RDH, BSDH to our new providers. Diane is an essential asset to our team and has a wealth of knowledge to share. She has over 20 years of dental experience and is a member of the ADHA and MnDHA. Although she is no longer providing patient care chair side, her passion is helping clinicians provide a higher quality of care for their patients ...
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The Journey to Becoming a Complex Care Hygienist

Posted on by Sandy Sheffler RDH
My name is Sandy Sheffler, and I have been a registered dental hygienist in the State of Maryland since 1973. For the last 45 years, I have been very fortunate to work in very progressive dental offices. In 1988, I was introduced to Dr. Paul Keyes, dental researcher and director of the National Institute of Dental Research and the developer of the Keyes Technique – a 7 step system to periodontal health. He was among the first dentists to associate pathogenic bacteria with dental diseases. Th...
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An Introduction to the History of Clinical Laboratory Testing

Posted on by Diane Larson RDH, BSDH
Clinical laboratory testing isn’t something newly developed in the era of the COVID pandemic. You have been a patient throughout your life, and I can guarantee there has been a laboratory test performed on you at least once, if not every time you are seen by a medical doctor. Hippocrates, in early 300 BC, was noted to use rudimentary tests on human fluids. However, just over a century ago the first clinical laboratories appeared in modern countries such as the United Kingdom and the United S...
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