NBDHE Patient Education and Preventive Dentistry Flashcards

Motivational interviewing in patient education is best described as:

Answer: A collaborative conversation that strengthens patient motivation for behavior change

Motivational interviewing is a patient-centered, collaborative counseling style that elicits and strengthens patients' own motivation and commitment to changing behavior.

The Silness and Löe plaque index scores plaque based on:

Answer: Thickness of plaque at the gingival margin

The Silness and Löe plaque index uses a 0–3 scale based on the thickness of plaque at the gingival margin, detected by running a probe along the tooth surface.

Chlorhexidine gluconate is the most effective antiplaque mouthrinse primarily because of its:

Answer: High substantivity allowing sustained release

Chlorhexidine's high substantivity means it binds to oral surfaces and is slowly released over hours, maintaining prolonged antimicrobial activity after rinsing.

The single strongest predictor of a patient's future caries risk is:

Answer: Past caries experience

Past caries experience is the most reliable predictor of future caries because it reflects the patient's overall susceptibility, microbial environment, and oral hygiene habits.

Essential oil mouthrinses such as Listerine reduce plaque and gingivitis by:

Answer: Disrupting bacterial cell walls to kill microorganisms

Essential oil rinses contain thymol, eucalyptol, menthol, and methyl salicylate, which penetrate and disrupt bacterial cell walls, reducing plaque and gingivitis.

Tertiary prevention in dental hygiene practice focuses on:

Answer: Restoring function and preventing further disability after disease

Tertiary prevention aims to restore function and minimize disability after disease has occurred, such as prosthetic rehabilitation following tooth loss from periodontitis.