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HYGIENE TRIBUNE
The World’s Dental Hygiene Newspaper · U.S. Edition
October 2011
www.dental-tribune.com
Vol. 4, No. 10
The amazing opposable thumb
By Colene W. House, RDH
For four years, I’ve been fascinated with thumbs, and rightfully so. In fact, I’ve got a thumb
that just doesn’t function the way
it used to when I first started
working as a hygienist 40 years
ago. When I go out to dinner
with my husband, I notice how
other patrons handle their knife
and fork. I find myself wondering
things such as, “Why do they hold
their eating utensils the way they
do? Do they have arthritis? Why
does that lady hold her glass in
both hands, is there something
wrong with her thumbs?” I even
watch the wait staff and worry
about how long they will be able
to heft the heavy trays with multiple plates of food.
Actors in movies, my patients,
my friends, people I encounter
during the course of the day, I
am watching them all. My husband says I’m obsessed. I freely
admit that I am. The thumb is our
main claim to fame as humans.
No other species has a digit that
is so singularly talented. Without
your thumbs, it is infinitely more
difficult to tie a bow, cut with scissors, use a can opener, blow your
nose, button a button. Oh, here’s a
good one: try typing without your
thumb to use the space bar. Go
ahead, I’ll wait.
Now that I have your attention, try scaling someone’s teeth
without using your thumb. There
is one word for such an endeavor, and that word is impossible.
There are several problems that
can develop with our hands over
time. The one we’ll focus on here
is CMC arthritis. The long name
for it is carpometacarpal arthritis, or in non-technical language,
arthritis at the base of the thumb.
CMC arthritis develops over
time as we constantly apply pinching force all day long, attacking
tenacious calculus and stain. Not
g HT page 3C
Have you ever tried typing without using your thumb for the space bar? Now imagine
attempting to scale a patient’s teeth without using your thumb. The effects of CMC
arthritis, which affects the base of the thumb, develops over time due to the constant
pinching pressure a hygienist applies during the work day. (Photo/Dewayne Flowers,
www.dreamstime.com)
Crest Oral-B announces Donna Caminiti, RDH,
as recipient of Pros in the Profession Award
Crest® Oral-B® recognized Donna
Caminiti, RDH, of Springfield, Ill., as
the first winner of the brands’ second-annual Pros in the Profession
award program, honoring registered
dental hygienists who go above and
beyond the call of duty every day.
After careful consideration of a pool
of qualified candidates, a panel of
judges selected Caminiti for the
award based on her commitment
to not only the oral health of her
patients, but also their overall health
and well-being.
Caminiti has been practicing
dental hygiene for more than 34
years and holds a Bachelor’s of Science in dental hygiene from Loyola
University. She earned her license
in 1977 with a focus in teaching
and graduated in 1978. For several
years, Caminiti taught at the student
clinic at Loyola University, and has
worked in various private practice
settings, both general and periodontic. Deeply committed to the prevention of oral cancer, Caminiti founded
a smoking-cessation program that
motivates her patients to quit smoking and displays their success on a
bulletin board in Caminiti’s office.
“Donna’s smoking cessation program is just one of the many things
that makes Donna a true ‘pro’ and
deserving of this recognition,” said
Marni Baker, RDH, a close friend
from Springfield who nominated
Caminiti for the Pros in the Profession award. “Donna exudes understanding and the capability to go
above and beyond the call of duty.
Her genuine love for others is apparent in all she does, even outside of
the professional realm.”
Caminiti is also an advocate for
Oral-B power toothbrushes, and
through another program she created, Caminiti displays photos of
patients using their Oral-B power
toothbrush in unique locations
across the world.
Caminiti stated, “I have to admit,
some of the power toothbrush photo
entries get quite creative, but at least
I have proof that the patients are
brushing!”
Throughout the year, five other
deserving professionals will join
Caminiti as this year’s Crest Oral-B
Pros in the Profession. Winners will
receive a $1,000 monetary prize, recognition at a special award cocktail
reception at RDH’s Under One Roof
2012 in Las Vegas, a recognition
plaque, tribute in dental trade media
news announcements and on www.
dentalcare.com, and an exclusive trip
to P&G headquarters. So those who
know worthy “pros” like Caminiti
should help give them the recognition they deserve by nominating
them today.
Nominations will be accepted
through April 2012 either online at
www.prosintheprofession.com or at
the Crest Oral-B booth at upcoming dental conventions. Nominations
should be submitted by dentists, fellow hygienists, dental assistants, professional colleagues and collegiate
colleagues, conveying why their
nominee is a true “pro.” Nominees
must meet the following criteria:
• Registered dental hygienists
with two or more years of practice
experience after graduation from
dental hygiene school.
• Registered dental hygienists with
community service involvement.
• General volunteer/non-oral
health-specific examples are welcome, but oral health-related volunteer experience is preferred.
Donna Caminiti, RDH of Springfiled, Ill.
(Photo/Provided by P&G)
• Registered dental hygienists with examples of work that go
above and beyond the call of duty.
Examples include: excellent patient
relations/special care/retainment;
involvement in research and/or clinical experience; published work(s);
and the ability to generate additional
business for their practice.
To learn more about Pros in the
Profession, including how to nominate a “pro” for consideration, visit,
www.prosintheprofession.com. HT
[2] =>
2C
News
Hygiene Tribune | October 2011
Dental hygiene jobs:
Low stress, underrated,
growing in number?
By Robert Selleck
Dental Tribune America
(Photo/www.dreamstime.com)
As “top-ranked” lists tend to do,
a recent compilation that includes
dental hygienist as one of the most
underrated jobs of 2011 has been
getting attention on business and
job-hunting sites across the Internet.
The ranking was put together by
the employment-resources website
www.careeercast.com, under the
heading “Most Underrated Jobs of
2011.”
CareerCast editors compiled the
list by reviewing job-rating data
supplied by its site users. Here’s
how it describes the positions that
its analysis revealed: “They’re professions that don’t woo people with
the high salaries or notoriety, but
AD
instead have characteristics that
make them especially worthy. For
instance, our most underrated jobs
typically have median-to-higher
income levels, lower stress, lower
environmental dangers and lower
physical demands.
And even in this tight economy,
all share one great attribute: a
lower than average unemployment
rate.”
Coming in at No. 9 on the list of
12 jobs: Dental hygienist.
CareerCast is better known for
its annual listing of the “best” and
“worst” jobs of the year. Interestingly, dental hygienist was one of
only three jobs on the just-released
“underrated” list to also make the
top-10 best jobs of 2011, coming in
at No. 10.
Another distinction for the profession in 2011 came with Canadian Living magazine’s compilation
of “Canada’s 10 hottest jobs.” Coming in at No. 4: Dentist or dental
hygienist.
The magazine reported that
“there are currently more job openings than there are qualified people
to fill them, in both positions.” It
also projected that the “industry
will continue to grow as Canada’s
aging population requires more
care, more Canadians enjoy dental
coverage, and the booming demand
for adult cosmetic dentistry continues (thank you, Hollywood!).”
Some reader comments on the
Canadian Living site challenge the
assertions to some degree, while
other commenters enthusiastically
concur with the findings.
A similar pattern in reader comments can be found on the various
sites that picked up the CareerCast ranking. On its site, CareerCast projects the number of dental
hygienists in the United States at
nearly 240,000 by 2018, a 36-percent increase over approximately
175,000 in 2008.
CareerCast scored jobs based on
an extensive rating system within the categories of environment,
income, outlook, stress and physical demands.
Making up the list of 12, in order,
are: paralegal/legal assistant,
accountant, loan officer, market
research analyst, software engineer, computer systems analyst,
insurance agent, dietician, dental
hygienist, civil engineer, physical
therapist and chiropractor. HT
(Sources: CareerCast and
Canadians Living)
HYGIENE TRIBUNE
The World’s Dental Hygiene Newspaper · U. S. Edition
Publisher & Chairman
Torsten Oemus
t.oemus@dental-tribune.com
Chief Operating Officer
Eric Seid
e.seid@dental-tribune.com
Group Editor & Designer
Robin Goodman
r.goodman@dental-tribune.com
Managing Editor/Designer
Implant, Endo & Lab Tribunes
Sierra Rendon
s.rendon@dental-tribune.com
Managing Editor/Designer
Ortho Tribune & Show Dailies
Kristine Colker
k.colker@dental-tribune.com
Online Editor
Fred Michmershuizen
f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.
com
Account Manager
Mark Eisen
m.eisen@dental-tribune.com
Marketing Manager
Anna Wlodarczyk
a.wlodarczyk@dental-tribune.com
Sales & Marketing Assistant
Lorrie Young
l.young@dental-tribune.com
C.E. Manager
Julia E. Wehkamp
j.wehkamp@dental-tribune.com
C.E. International Sales Manager
Christiane Ferret
c.ferret@dtstudyclub.com
Dental Tribune America, LLC
116 West 23rd Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10011
Tel.: (212) 244-7181
Fax: (212) 244-7185
Published by Dental Tribune America
© 2011 Dental Tribune America, LLC
All rights reserved.
Hygiene Tribune strives to maintain
utmost accuracy in its news and clinical
reports. If you find a factual error or
content that requires clarification, please
contact Group Editor Robin Goodman at
r.goodman@dental-tribune.com.
Hygiene Tribune cannot assume
responsibility for the validity of product
claims or for typographical errors.
The publisher also does not assume
responsibility for product names or
statements made by advertisers. Opinions
expressed by authors are their own and
may not reflect those of Dental Tribune
America.
Tell us what you think!
Do you have general comments or criticism you would like to share? Is there
a particular topic you would like to see
articles about in Hygiene Tribune? Let
us know by e-mailing feedback@dentaltribune.com. We look forward to hearing
from you!
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to process.
[3] =>
Clinical
Hygiene Tribune | October 2011
f HT page 1C
to mention struggling with stubborn lips, cheeks and tongues.
Over the years, the force of constant pinching wears down the
cartilage that is meant to protect
the ends of the bones and help
them move freely against each
other. When that cartilage is worn
away, the grinding of bone on
bone gets painful, very painful.
Consider the mathematical
problem of transference of pounds
of pressure from the fingertips to
the base of the joint where it
meets the wrist. One pound of
pressure at the fingertips increases anywhere from 10 to 16 times
by the time it gets to the CMC
joint. My surgeon has a gage to
measure how much pressure one
can exert with a pinch force. I can
apply 12 pounds at my fingertips.
So let’s see, that’s 120 pounds, at
the very least, by the time it gets
to the CMC joint. That’s a lot of
pressure, and dental hygienists
exert this force all day long and
over a period of many years.
CMC arthritis symptoms
Most likely, the first symptom
that is noticed is soreness and
sometimes swelling in the pad of
muscle at the base of the thumb.
Another is difficulty putting your
hand flat on the floor, especially trying to support your weight
while doing pilates, yoga or pushups.
Weakness in your grip is another symptom. I experienced sharp
pains that radiated up my arm
when I would turn the steering
wheel of my car.
Fatigue occurs after doing
things that never bothered you
before. When you are fatigued,
you start compensating by positioning your arm and shoulder in
weird ways. The problem is then
compounded.
However, don’t self diagnose
if you feel discomfort. Go see a
hand specialist. He or she will
take an X-ray in order to make a
final diagnosis of CMC arthritis.
Work smarter to work longer
After 40 years as a dental hygienist, two things come to mind. First,
never use dull instruments. The
duller they are, the harder you
have to grip in order to remove
any deposits on your patient’s
teeth. The harder you grip, the
more potential damage you do
to your most important assets:
those two money makers that are
attached to the ends of your arms.
Look at them. They are the only
two hands you will ever be given.
I like to keep two or three sets
of sharp instruments in an easily
accessible place to switch out at
a moment’s notice. Some hygienists keep a sharpening stone with
each setup and sharpen as needed during the appointment.
Second, use powered scalers
as often as you can. If you have to
purchase your own, whether it be
magnetostrictive, piezo-electric
or even a sonic scaler, it will be
one of the most important purchases you make. Invest in yourself. You are worth it. Your hands
are worth it.
Make time for regular massages with a licensed massage
therapist (LMT) who has in-depth
knowledge of hands. My LMT
knows what I do for a living, and
that I have had multiple surgeries
on my right hand. She carefully
works on my arms, hands and
shoulders, keeping the muscles
in good shape, and the interstitial
spaces between the bones open.
Even if you have to schedule a regular manicure to get
a good hand massage, take the
time. Learn what those simple
stretches and massage techniques
are so you can teach someone else
to do it for you every day.
We know the importance of
back care exercises, so why not
give our hands the same consideration? Try this simple exercise.
Place your hand, palm down on
the seat of your chair and slightly
spread your fingers. Now sit on
your hand, slowly straighten your
elbow, and hold it there for several seconds. Do this at each break
you have. That little trick counteracts the position your hands have
been in all day.
The practice of dental hygiene
is hard on us physically. We all
need to be pro-active in our physical care, just as we advise our
patients in the preventive care for
3C
their teeth. Be smart. Practice
smart. Take care of those amazing
opposable thumbs. HT
About the author
Colene
W. House
has been a
clinical dental hygienist
for 40 years
and has a
passion for
researching
CMC
arthritis.
House may
be reached at colenehouse1257@
charter.net.
AD
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