salivary testing

Most of My Career, I Measured the Wrong Thing (And How OralDNA Forced Me to Change My Scorecard) – Part Two

Posted on by Jonathan Evans
Last week, we explored the awakening that comes from seeing the unseen. This week, Jonathan dives into the hard truth: a technically perfect Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) doesn’t always equal success. We’ll see how embracing an outcome-focused mindset changes not just the approach to care, but the results and the satisfaction hygienists and patients alike experience. The Hard Truth: Great SRP With Bad Outcomes Is Not a Win This is where my mindset truly flipped. I had to admit to myself: ...
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Most of My Career, I Measured the Wrong Thing (And How OralDNA Forced Me to Change My Scorecard) – Part One

Posted on by Jonathan Evans
For most of my 32 years as a hygienist, my “success” lived in my treatment notes. How many quads of Scaling and Root planing (SRP) did I do this week? How much calculus did I remove? How clean did those roots look and feel when I finished? If I walked out of a room drenched in sweat with polished roots and detailed charting, I felt like I’d done my job. Box checked. Next patient. But there was always this low-level itch in the back of my mind: If I’m doing such great work, why do...
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Throwback: Oral Health Contributing to Health Issues

Posted on by Sarah Tevis, DDS
Challenge: Due to dental anxiety, specifically the fear of being overwhelmed with dental problems, the patient finally took the necessary steps to address her chief complaint, “My gums are bleeding, and my teeth are sensitive. I want a more holistic approach to dental care. I feel like my mouth is contributing to my health issues.” Background: Age: 37 Sex: Female Medical History: Severe eczema since childhood, long term topical and systemic steroid for skin has resulted in s...
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RDH Spotlight: Oanh Pham, CPhT, RDH, BSDH

Posted on by Oanh Pham, CPhT, RDH, BSDH
Dr. McGlennen: What inspired you to pursue a career in dental hygiene, and what do you find most rewarding about it? Oanh: I’ve always had a strong passion for helping others and initially pursued a career in nursing. Over time, I realized a career in dental hygiene has a better work life balance while still allowing me to make meaningful impacts on patients’ overall health. What I find most rewarding is knowing that my role goes beyond oral health. By treating periodontal disease, I’m also...
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Throwback: Why? What? How?

Posted on by Michael Goldberg DMD
WHY?…WHAT?…HOW? This is a philosophy that is often taught in dental and hygiene schools: Diagnose, Treatment Plan, then Treat. And yet, immediately after this is taught, a focus is placed on learning treatment, or the HOW. And then upon graduation the focus also becomes on treatment and production. The diagnosis (WHY) and planning (WHAT) become secondary. They’re only an avenue to an end…Production, a means to an end. That’s where the money is. In a nutshell, that’s the problem with our...
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Unexplained Infertility, Explained?

Posted on by Dr. Neusha Najafi
Up to 30% of infertility cases remain classified as “unexplained” despite comprehensive reproductive evaluation. While this label often implies idiopathic dysfunction, it may instead reflect the limitations of current diagnostic frameworks, especially those that overlook chronic inflammation and microbial dysbiosis as contributors to reproductive failure. Emerging evidence suggests that oral health, systemic inflammation, and shared microbial exposure between partners may play a meaningfu...
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Throwback: Light the Flame of Awareness

Posted on by Brittany Hill RDH
Incorporating OralDNA® testing into our practice has been a game changer. It finally gives us, the clinicians, an advantage when getting ahead of this progressive disease–periodontal disease. The research is mounting, periodontal pathogens do not just exist in your oral cavity; the bacteria can enter the bloodstream through inflamed periodontal tissue. Hence, the mouth is connected to the body and so are the pathogens. It is all linked. Now with MyPerioPath® results to show what periodontal ...
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Throwback: Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions

Posted on by Geoffrey Sharpe BDS MFDS RCPS MSc MRD Perio RCSEd
As a periodontist, there are two topics that other clinicians frequently ask me about. The first is the updated Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions. The second is my experience of working with salivary diagnostics. Both of these initiatives have become an essential part of my daily practice in periodontics. I moved to Dubai in 2010 to work as a specialist periodontist at a well-known private clinic. During my time in Dubai, it became increasingly clear t...
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Wellness Dentistry Summit 2025 – Livestream Virtual Ticket

Posted on by Nicki Mackey
  December 5–6, 2025 | Virtual Hosted by The Wellness Dentist Institute, the Wellness Dentistry Summit 2025 is your chance to learn, grow, and connect with the leaders driving the future of wellness-focused dental care. Whether you’re advancing your clinical skills, refining your business strategy, or looking to empower your team, this event is designed to equip you with actionable insights you can implement immediately. This sought after event has already sold out for in perso...
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Throwback: How Do You Speak Testing?

Posted on by Leslie I. Bautista RDH
A common question of everyone doing something for the first time is “How?” Clinical laboratory testing is standard of care in the medical profession and while completing their degrees, our medical colleagues learned the “How.” For dental professionals, clinical laboratory testing is a newer concept. Clinical lab testing in dentistry marks a paradigm shift. We hope this series “How to Speak” provides insights into how to talk with your patients about optimal care. The guest author has been gi...
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