Dental Hygienist Essay

The dental hygiene care environment is the physical setting that contains equipment and instruments where the dental hygienist delivers professional oral care (Darby & Walsh, 2015, p.91). Decor, lighting, temperature, sound, and smell influence the environment in an office and can leave a lasting impression to the client and set the tone for the visit (Darby & Walsh, 2015, p. 91). Decor should be calm and relaxing with no overwhelming color schemes (Darby & Walsh, 2015, p. 91). Colour has a psychological impact and choosing the right one can have a positive effect. Our objectives in choosing a colour scheme for our dental hygiene office are: it must be striking in appearance but it must also have a long-term enjoyment of color. Our group settled on

choosing neutrals because we want a restful, calm, relaxing and soothing experience for our clients. Selecting colors similar in value, consistent level of lightness or darkness, and limited in contrast will reinforce the "restful" response (Carter & Carter, n.d.).

Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is a broad term meaning that people and organizations are expected to behave ethically and with sensitivity toward social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues (Beaty, 2017, p.

229). Social responsibilities include the concepts of a person’s right to health care, the profession’s obligation to raise oral health literacy of the community and government's responsibility to promote the health and well being of the public (Beatty, 2017, p.229). Dental hygienists promote and maintain oral wellness and thereby contribute to overall health and quality of life (Darby & Walsh, 2015, p. 1). As dental hygienists, we can be socially responsible by maintaining our competence in clinical skills and being current on evidenced based research in dental hygiene so as to provide the best possible care for our clients.We can also disseminate our knowledge to clients in order for them to improve their oral health through oral hygiene education and nutritional counselling. We can also support groups in advocating for governmental policies with regards to oral health. Volunteering to serve those who cannot afford dental hygiene care is also a means of giving back to society and being socially

responsible.
Our company's environmental policies are aligned with the World Commission on Environment and Development’s aim to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Dental hygienists are dedicated professionals who strive to promote good oral health. To accomplish this, they use different materials which can present challenges to the environment. Dental hygiene practices generate vast amounts of waste which includes gauze, plastic, latex and other materials which are contaminated with body fluids. Improper handling and disposal can lead to spread of disease (Muhademagic, et.al, 2009). In Ontario, biomedical waste is regulated through the Environmental Protection Act by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. Biomedical waste encompasses materials capable of causing disease or suspected of harbouring pathogenic organisms; it includes blood-soaked gauze, tissues and syringes (Muhademagic, et.al, 2009). Non-sharp biomedical waste products should be stored in a yellow bag that is properly labelled with a biohazard symbol (Muhademagic, et.al., 2009). Sharps (i.e., syringes, suture needles) should not be included in the bagged general or biomedical waste, but should be stored in a puncture-resistant, leak-proof, properly labelled container until collection and incineration (Muhademagic, et.al, 2009). Our office can also be more environmentally friendly by purchasing products with minimal packaging and using reusable plastic containers for cleaning and disinfecting solutions. Paper towels from recycled materials can also be use in our office along with energy efficient lighting and temperature regulation to limit energy use.
All workers in the dental practice are exposed to hazardous materials and need to be trained in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulation 860, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) (Dental Practice Safety, 2014). WHMIS training should be considered a prerequisite to performing work within a dental practice (Dental Practice Safety, 2014).

E-business Strategy
Social media is the newest form of effective advertising and communication that has revolutionized the marketing world (Darby & Walsh, 2015, p. 1105). With this in mind, our group is going to utilize social media to our advantage. First, we would set up our own website. According to Darby, “effective websites can showcase a practice or provider’s unique talents to set the practice apart” (2015). We would be collaborating with a website designer, keeping in mind that our website should be updated constantly, to enable search engines to find the practice website and increase viewing. We would also regularly post enlightening and beneficial articles to keep our readers interested on our website. We will constantly monitor our website to answer queries and use it as form of communication with our clients. Secondly, we will used social networking services like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc. to raise awareness of our clinic’s services, location, staff, amenities, etc. Darby states that “this form of social media allows the client to gain confidence in the practice and feel a sense of comfort from already knowing staff and services before ever setting foot in the practice" (2015). These services offer effective and low cost features that allows communication with existing clients who have the option of encouraging friends to use the office as well (Darby & Walsh, 2015, p.1105). By utilizing Twitter, it “provides for ongoing conversation and can be use to build a trusting relationship through posts to those with whom one wishes to communicate on a regular basis” (Darby & Walsh, 2015, p.1105). Third, our group would also put up a Weblog, or a personal online journal, which can be linked to our website. Blogs are great for search engine marketing, engaging clients in conversations, putting a human voice to the practice, building brand awareness, and generating interests in the practice (Darby & Walsh, 2015, p.1106). Lastly, we will also take advantage of YouTube to promote our business. According to Darby “YouTube allows for great exposure of the uploaded materials and can expand the practice exponentially” (2015).
To manage our practice more efficiently, our office will be utilizing the Dentrix products. Dentrix can give our practice the business, clinical and front office tools—electronic prescriptions, eClaims, monthly business metrics, mobile computing, third-party products and more— that will enable our team to improve patient care while growing our business (Dentrix, 2017). Time-consuming tasks such as submitting insurance claims, sending appointment reminders, processing payments and updating patient records can be accomplished in less time with greater accuracy with it (Dentrix, 2017). The Dentrix Practice Advisor can give our practice a monthly financial-health check up and creates easy-to-read reports that will show our practice’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities at a glance (Dentrix, 2017). Our office can then easily track progress by comparing our current performance to previous monthly and year-to-date numbers (Dentrix, 2017). A daily huddle report will keep our team focused on the daily tasks that will impact both client care and our practice profitability.