Patient Care Procedures 2 Flashcards

During a procedure, the patient begins to show signs of syncope (fainting) — they appear pale, diaphoretic, and report feeling lightheaded. What is the dental assistant's immediate priority action?

Answer: Lower the patient's head below the level of their heart by reclining the chair and elevating their legs

Syncope results from a temporary reduction in cerebral blood flow. Reclining the chair and elevating the legs promotes venous return to the heart and restores blood flow to the brain, which is the immediate priority. Oxygen and vital sign monitoring follow once the patient's position is corrected.

When documenting a patient's chart entry in a dental office, which of the following practices best reflects proper legal and ethical record-keeping standards?

Answer: Draw a single line through the error, write the correction beside it, and initial and date the correction

Legal dental records must show all original entries. Drawing a single line through an error, then initialing and dating the correction demonstrates transparency and prevents allegations of falsification. Using white-out, erasing, or removing pages can constitute fraudulent alteration of a medical record.

A patient returns to the dental office two days after an extraction reporting increasing pain that began the day before, a foul taste, and an empty-appearing socket. Which condition does this presentation most likely indicate, and what is the dental assistant's role?

Answer: Alveolar osteitis (dry socket); prepare the tray for socket irrigation and medicament placement as directed by the dentist

Alveolar osteitis (dry socket) occurs when the blood clot is lost or dissolves prematurely, exposing the underlying bone. Classic signs are onset of pain 1–3 days post-extraction, empty socket appearance, and foul odour. The dental assistant's role is to prepare for the dentist-directed treatment, which involves gentle irrigation and placement of a medicated dressing.

When assisting during a rubber dam placement, the dental assistant passes the rubber dam forceps to the dentist with the clamp already seated on the forceps. Which sequence correctly describes the remaining steps to complete rubber dam isolation?

Answer: Punch the dam, place the dam over the clamp bow, position the clamp and dam onto the anchor tooth simultaneously, seat the frame, and use floss to pass the dam through the contacts

The correct sequence is: punch the dam, thread the dam through the clamp bow (so the dam is carried onto the tooth with the clamp), seat the frame to hold the dam taut, then use dental floss to work the dam through each interproximal contact. This ensures the clamp is visible through the dam and reduces the risk of the clamp being swallowed if it slips.

A dental assistant is preparing a tray for an adult patient requiring a prophylaxis (dental cleaning) appointment. Which of the following instrument selections is most appropriate and complete for this procedure?

Answer: Explorer, periodontal probe, universal curette or sickle scaler, Gracey curettes, rubber cup, prophy paste, floss, and saliva ejector

A prophylaxis tray requires instruments for examination (explorer, periodontal probe), calculus removal (scalers and curettes), and polishing (rubber prophy cup, paste, floss). The other options describe instrumentation for restorative, surgical, or other procedures unrelated to a preventive cleaning appointment.

During a composite resin restoration, the dentist instructs the dental assistant to perform selective etching on enamel margins only. What material is used, and how long should it be applied to enamel before rinsing?

Answer: 37% phosphoric acid (etchant) applied to enamel for 15–30 seconds, then thoroughly rinsed and lightly air-dried

Selective etching uses 37% phosphoric acid gel applied to enamel margins for 15–30 seconds to create microporosity that improves mechanical bonding of the resin. The etchant must be thoroughly rinsed to remove all acid, and the surface lightly dried (avoiding desiccation of dentin) before the bonding agent is applied.