Oral Health Screening Online Module
Section 3: Oral Health Screening Steps & Tips
Objectives
Upon completion of this section, participants will be able to:
- Describe the purpose of oral health screening
- Describe the components of an oral health screening
- Describe and demonstrate the “Lift the Lip” oral screening technique
- Identify things to do during a screening
Purpose and Components of Oral health Screening
Proper oral health plays a vital role in maintaining the overall health and wellness of children. The purpose of a screening is to identify normal versus abnormal oral conditions and to make referrals for dental care. If no problems are found, a verbal referral should be given for regular, preventive dental care. If abnormalities are noted, referrals should be given for dental assessment and treatment. Comprehensive diagnosis and treatment are the responsibilities of dentists.
Oral health screening should be included whenever general health screening is done during a C&TC visit. Oral health screening in the primary care setting is important because primary care providers often have early access to children who are most at risk for poor oral health.
An oral health screening is comprised of three parts: reviewing oral health history; performing a physical examination of the child’s mouth; and referring for preventive dental care or assessment and treatment.
Oral Health History Review
The oral health history review should cover a child’s and his/her caregiver’s past and current oral health practices and experience to help discover risks for oral problems. This review can include the following:
- Previous oral problems
- Diet and nutrition
- Fluoride intake
- Primary source of drinking water
- Past fluoride treatment
- Supplements
- Dental visit history
- Drug or alcohol use
- Medical conditions including diabetes, infections, etc.
- Medications that affect the mouth
- Baby bottle or sippy cup use
 Image 1: Positioning of a child less than 3 years of age |
 Image 2: "Lift the Lip" example with severe dental caries |
Physical Examination of Child's Mouth
An oral health screening includes a physical examination of a child’s mouth, including the lips, tongue, teeth, gums and tissues. A common screening procedure called “Lift the lip” can be used to examine a child’s mouth. A dental chair and other dental equipment are not required to perform the screening procedure. Gloves (latex or non-latex), a tongue blade and a good light source should be adequate for the examination.
For a child less than 3 years of age:
- The screener and the caregiver should sit facing each other with their knees touching.
- Lay the child on the screener’s lap with his/her head securely nestled against the screener’s abdomen (see Image 1).
- With gloved hands, the screener should lift the child’s lips, feel the soft tissues, check the physical conditions of the teeth and gum and look throughout the mouth (see Image 2).
For a child 3 years of age or older:
- The child can be checked while sitting close and across from the screener.
- A tongue depressor can be used to move the lips to view the teeth.
Video: "Lift the Lip" procedure (Windows Media Player: 959KB)
Script: "Lift the Lip" procedure script content
Download the Windows Media Player plugin (if needed).
Things to do during the physical examination component of the oral health screening
The objective of the physical examination component of the oral health screening is to identify normal versus abnormal oral conditions. During this component, the screener should:
- Determine whether tooth eruption and loss are up to schedule according to tooth development guidelines (see Section 2)
- Observe tooth abnormalities and alignment of teeth (see Section 4)
- Observe oral plaque and debris
- Check for dental caries (tooth decay) using the Caries-Risk Assessment Tool (PDF: 79KB/7 pages), oral injuries and other anomalies
Information on dental varnish is available at Dental Health Screening and Fluoride Varnish Application, a comprehensive dental screening and fluoride varnish application online training developed by Dr. Amos Deinard, University of Minnesota.
Quiz
 |
 |
