ORAL HYGIENE

Oral Hygiene

Table fo Contents

Design Process3

Market Research4

The Product Design Specification6

The Conceptual Phase8

The Evaluation of Concepts9

Value Analysis9

Project Management10

Design Review12

References15

Patents and Other Rights15

End Notes16

Appendix 1 - Design Review and Verification Form18

Oral Hygiene

Design Process

1.1 Introduction

Patients are often baffled at the enormous selection of dental care products available on the retail market today. Making good choices between all the products can prove difficult to navigate. We would like to offer some suggestions for choosing dental care products that will work for most patients.

Automatic and high-tech electronic toothbrushes are safe and effective for the majority of patients. Oral irrigators (water spraying devices) will rinse your mouth thoroughly, but will not remove plaque. You need to brush and floss in conjunction with the irrigator. We see excellent results with electric toothbrushes called Sonicare and Interplak.

Some toothbrushes have a rubber tip on the handle; this is used to massage the gums after brushing. There are also tiny brushes (interproximal toothbrushes) that are designed to clean between your teeth if you have areas that trap food regularly. If these interproximal toothbrushes are used improperly you could injure the gums, so be sure discuss proper use of these brushes with your doctor or hygienist.

If used in conjunction with brushing and flossing, fluoride toothpastes and mouth rinses can reduce tooth decay by as much as 40 percent. Remember, these rinses are not recommended for children under six years of age. Tartar control toothpastes will reduce tartar above the gum line, but gum disease starts below the gum line so periodic professional dental office teeth cleanings are critical.

Anti-plaque rinses, approved by the American Dental Association, contain agents that may help bring early gum disease under control. Use these in conjunction with brushing and flossing.

1.2 Instrumentation

Instrumentation is one of the fundamentals of dental hygiene. However, the repetitive use of dental instruments presents ergonomic consequences that result from contributing factors, such as forceful exertions, repetition, the use of small-diameter handles, flexion and extension of wrists, pinch forces, static loading of the fingers and hands, awkward hand postures, and other prehensile (adapted for seizing or grasping) motions. Selecting the appropriate instruments and grasping them correctly can help dental hygienists maintain their health and prevent work-related musculoskeletal injuries.

Market Research

Two companies now offer instruments that require less sharpening over time in order to maintain a proper edge. Hu-Friedy recently introduced the EverEdge line of scalers and curettes. A special stainless steel alloy allows the instruments to stay sharp 50 percent longer than their standard instruments. American Eagle Instruments' XP Gracey curettes are made from a specially coated, hardened stainless steel, which keeps the blade sharp longer. Testing indicates that the XP blade handles 10 times the number of strokes with only one-tenth the wear to the instrument blade.

Several companies offer instruments that have replaceable tips. This allows clinicians to develop their own customized instruments. Another advantage to this system is the ability to replace a broken tip and put the instrument back into service immediately.

Some dental practices attempt to operate with a bare ...