Precision Scaling – Instrument Design Meets Biomechanics

Course Code: S2

AGD Code: 490

1.5 Hour Lecture – Technical and Scientific

Suggested Audience: H

Dental hygienists are uniquely positioned to influence comprehensive patient care. This lecture course explores how thorough assessments, active listening, and thoughtful communication can transform routine appointments into powerful moments of advocacy and education. Learn to leverage your clinical observations and patient interactions to support whole-person care, enhance treatment acceptance, and elevate your role within the practice—simply by saying what you see, hear, and know. No pressure. No pitch. Just purposeful prevention. Anyone that has practiced chairside knows that dental hygiene is a physically taxing career. Even on the best of days, physical fatigue is an uphill battle. What is hard to grasp is that it’s the sum of the little things we do “just really quick” in and out of the operatory that equals the whole of our body pain… or wellness. The cellular death and subsequent pain or loss of function that is a result of chronically compressed joints, tendons, ligaments, and nerves is only the beginning of the journey. This course will include an extensive exploration on the biomechanics of dental hygiene instrumentation and how to make subtle changes in practice that add up to big results for less body pain. 

Educational Objectives: 

• Demonstrate an understanding of body preparedness before practice that lead to whole body wellness.   

• Understand the biomechanics and manifestations behind the body pain experienced amongst the majority of dental hygienists. 

• Discover neutral body friendly operator and patient positioning for use during clinical practice. 

• Identify parts and pieces of instruments that can be used to reduce body pain and relief unnecessary body strain.