Includes bibliographical references and index.

The professional dental hygienist -- Evidence-based dental hygiene practice -- Effective health communication -- Infection control : transmissible diseases -- Exposure control : barriers for patient and clinician -- Infection control : clinical procedures -- Patient reception and ergonomic practice -- Introduction to documentation -- Personal, dental, and medical histories -- Vital signs -- Extraoral and intraoral examination -- Dental radiographic imaging -- Study casts -- The periodontium -- Examination instruments and procedures -- Periodontal diseases -- The teeth -- The occlusion -- Dental biofilm and other soft deposits -- Calculus -- Dental stains and discolorations -- Indices and scoring methods -- Planning for dental hygiene care -- The dental hygiene care plan -- Patient learning for health behavioral change -- Protocols for prevention and control of dental caries -- Oral infection control: toothbrushes and toothbrushing -- Interdental care and irrigation -- Dentifrices and mouthrinses -- The patient with orthodontic appliances -- Care of dental prostheses -- The patient with dental implants -- The patient who uses tobacco -- Diet and dietary analysis -- Fluorides -- Sealants -- Anxiety and pain control -- Instruments and principles for instrumentation -- Nonsurgical periodontal instrumentation -- Nonsurgical periodontal therapy: supplemental care procedures -- Acute periodontal conditions -- Sutures and dressings -- Dentin hypersensitivity -- Extrinsic stain removal -- Tooth bleaching -- principles of evaluation -- Maintenance -- Patients with special needs -- Emergency care -- Appendix I: American Dental Hygienists' Association Code of Ethics for Dental Hygienists -- Appendix II: Canadian Dental Hygienists Association Code of Ethics -- Appendix III: International Federation of Dental Hygienists Code of Ethics -- Appendix IV: Guidelines for infection control in dental health-care settings -- Appendix V: Average measurements of human teeth appendix VI: Prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms -- Appendix VII: Charting symbols and standardized abbreviations useful for documenting dental hygiene care.