Dr. McGlennen: Please tell me how and why you became interested to incorporate OralDNA® testing at your practice.
Madison RDH: Our dental hygiene team wanted a way to determine exactly what type of bacteria our patients have in their mouths, so we can treat them the best way possible.
Dr. McGlennen: What do you see as the biggest benefits to using salivary diagnostics in your practice?
Madison RDH: The biggest benefit for us is being able to reduce patients’ overall bacterial load in their mouth to benefit their overall health. Being able to look out for our patients’ systemic health is very important to us. We want to treat the whole patient, not just their mouth.
Dr. McGlennen: What are the top 2 things you consider when selecting a patient for OralDNA® testing? How do you present salivary diagnostic testing to your patients?
Madison RDH: We look for patients who have not responded well to periodontal therapy in the past. If patients persist with bleeding upon probing and any inflammation, we recommend OralDNA ® Labs testing. We recommend OralDNA® Labs testing to every patient in our practice who needs periodontal treatment that includes scaling & root planing. We also recommend testing to patients who have an extensive health history and are at risk for periodontal disease.
Dr. McGlennen: What is your favorite part of the MyPerioPath® lab results report? Why?
Madison RDH: I love how user friendly the MyPerioPath® lab reports are. They are easy to explain to patients and use in the hygiene room to educate. I love how cost-effective the tests are compared to other labs. The more cost-effective to our patients the better. We don’t want patients refusing this valuable information due to cost. Being able to do multiple reports on patients over time is very beneficial to track their periodontal condition.
Dr. McGlennen: How do your patients respond to this technology?
Madison RDH: Patients are very impressed with how thorough we are and that we are using protocols like OralDNA® Labs testing to better treat them. Patients usually have never had OralDNA® testing done before coming to our practice. They love that we can specifically target the type of bacteria they have in their mouth to be able to provide personalized dental care.
Dr. McGlennen: What was your biggest challenge when starting to use OralDNA® testing? How did you overcome that obstacle?
Madison RDH: The biggest challenge so far is getting people to recognize the link between oral and systemic health. A lot of patients have not been educated on this by their dental or medical providers in the past. Getting patients to see how the bacteria in their mouths can affect their overall systemic health can be challenging. More recently, patients have heard more about this and are starting to take it seriously. Having OralDNA® Labs tests as a tool in our arsenal has been amazing.
Dr. McGlennen: If a new OralDNA® provider were to ask you for advice, what would be your best tip?
Madison RDH: My best tip would be, don’t be afraid to tell patients about this service. Many dental providers might assume that patients might not want to pay out of pocket for this extra service. My advice would be to educate patients on the importance of OralDNA® testing and how it can greatly improve their oral and systemic health. When patients realize the importance, they are usually more than happy to move forward with testing.
Dr. McGlennen: Where do you see salivary diagnostics in 3-5 years? 10 years? What would be the impact on your practice/patients?
Madison RDH: I see our practice testing every new patient that comes into the practice. I see our practice retesting at every hygiene appointment that probing is due. I see us having OralDNA® testing on every patient and retesting at least yearly.
- Interview with Madison Afsari, RDH - April 29, 2022