Final DPH
🦷 DH 224 PUBLIC HEALTH FINAL — MASTER STUDY SHEET
⭐ PROGRAM PLANNING — KNOW THIS ORDER
Assessment → Dental Hygiene Diagnosis → Planning → Implementation → Evaluation/Documentation
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Assessment: Determine the population’s needs, interests, abilities, resources, and dental status.
DH Diagnosis: Interpret assessment findings and prioritize problems.
Planning: Establish the broad goal, write specific measurable objectives, and select teaching methods.
Implementation: Actually carry out the program/education.
Evaluation: Determine whether the program worked using qualitative and/or quantitative measures.
Documentation occurs throughout.
🔥 FIRST step in establishing a community dental health program = ASSESSMENT.
Include the target population and/or community leaders during planning. Personal contact with the target population can increase participation.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ NEED vs DEMAND vs UTILIZATION vs SUPPLY
Need = amount/type of services required to achieve or maintain health.
Demand = how much/frequently the population desires dental care.
Utilization = services actually used/consumed.
Supply = amount of dental care/services available.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
🔥 In populations needing public-health programs:
NEED is HIGH → DEMAND is LOW.
Goal = increase demand while decreasing need.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ HEALTH EDUCATION vs HEALTH PROMOTION
Health Education = teaching health/oral-health behaviors and creating awareness.
Health Promotion = informing + motivating people to adopt healthy behaviors.
Healthy behavior = action that prevents disease/promotes health.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⚠ Education alone DOES NOT guarantee behavior change.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
When teaching a population, their values toward oral health may need to change first. Behavior change is not achieved until value adoption occurs.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ LEARNING LADDER
Memorize in order:
Unawareness → Awareness → Self-interest → Involvement → Action → Habit
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Think:
Don’t know → Know → Care → Participate → Do → Keep doing
⭐ FIVE-DIMENSIONAL HEALTH MODEL
Physical → Mental → Social → Spiritual → Emotional
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Know examples:
Physical: food, toothbrush, floss
Mental: knowledge
Social: interaction/communication
Spiritual: values/morality
Emotional: trust
Negative examples include poor nutrition/inadequate dental care, ignorance, withdrawal/poor communication, lack of value for dental health, and mistrust/fear of providers.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ MASLOW’S HIERARCHY
Bottom → Top:
Physiological → Safety → Belongingness/Love → Self-esteem → Self-actualization
Remember: basic survival needs come before higher-level needs. The hierarchy appears in the review on page 25.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ HEALTH BELIEF MODEL
Know these concepts:
Susceptibility = “Could this happen to me?”
Serious consequences = “How serious would it be?”
Benefit = “Will changing my behavior help?”
Salience = the person makes stopping/changing the behavior a priority.
The review uses tobacco cessation/oral cancer as its example.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ EVALUATION
Quantitative = NUMBERS
Qualitative = WHY/HOW
Formative = evaluation during planning/process; helps improve the program while developing it.
Summative = evaluation afterward; determines the program’s overall merit/results.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Easy memory:
FORMative = FORMing it.
SUMMative = SUM it up at the end.
⭐ DENTAL INDICES
A dental index is a standardized quantitative method for measuring, scoring, and analyzing oral conditions.
Can measure things like decay, periodontal disease, gingivitis, bleeding, plaque/debris/calculus, fluorosis, orthodontic conditions, cleft lip/palate, and oral cancer.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Characteristics of a GOOD dental index
Clarity
Simplicity
Objectivity
Validity
Reliability
Quantifiable
Sensitive
Easy
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ RAMFJORD TEETH
Representative 6 teeth:
#3, #9, #12, #19, #25, #28
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
🔥 Memorize those numbers.
⭐ CPITN / PSR
0 = Healthy
1 = Bleeding after probing
2 = Calculus and/or defective restoration margin
3 = 4–5 mm pocket
4 = ≥6 mm pocket
* = Furcation, mobility, mucogingival problem, or recession
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Easy:
0 healthy → 1 blood → 2 calc → 3 = 4–5 → 4 = 6+
⭐ DMFT
D = Decayed
M = Missing because of caries
F = Filled/restored
Important exceptions:
Do NOT count third molars.
Missing due to orthodontics/impaction does NOT count as M.
Unerupted or congenitally missing teeth don’t count as M.
Teeth restored for reasons other than caries aren’t counted.
A tooth with caries AND a restoration = D.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ TSIF — FLUOROSIS
0 = none
1 = <33% white fluorosis
2 = ≥33% but <66%
3 = ≥66%
4 = staining
5 = pitting without staining
6 = pitting + staining
7 = severe/confluent pitting, possible missing enamel + usually dark brown stain
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM BASICS
Overall goal of Dental Public Health programs:
REDUCE ORAL DISEASE
Major emphasis = promotion + prevention, accomplished through positive behavior, education, and clinical services.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
🔥 Most effective use of the public-health hygienist’s time: teach the people who regularly work with the target population, such as teachers and caregivers, rather than trying to individually educate everyone.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ TARGET POPULATIONS / CULTURE
Barrier to care = anything limiting a person’s ability to receive services.
SES = person’s comparative social and economic standing within the community.
Cultural diversity = integrating socioethnocultural background into DH care.
Cultural sensitivity = awareness and understanding of cultures different from your own.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Community/leadership involvement matters because community leaders can influence participation.
⭐ SEALANT PROGRAM
Target:
Children in grades 2–6
Why? Their permanent molars should be sufficiently erupted for sealant placement.
Also obtain parental support from the target group.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
⭐ FLUORIDE — HIGH YIELD
Your review specifically flags:
0.2% NaF = WEEKLY application
Community water fluoridation = cost-effective.
An argument opponents may make is that fluoridation violates personal freedom/human rights.
Your instructor’s final study guide specifically says to know how community fluoridation works, who funds it, fluoride supplementation, and the valid argument against fluoridation, so give this area extra attention.
Final+Study+Guide+DH+224+2026.pdf
⭐ DENTAL CARE / MEDICAID
Medicaid = Title XIX (Title 19).
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Your final guide also specifically wants:
Medicare vs Medicaid
Fee-for-service
Sliding scale
Capitation
Co-payment
EOB
Dental claim form
Final+Study+Guide+DH+224+2026.pdf
Quick meanings:
Fee-for-service = payment for each individual service provided.
Sliding scale = fees adjusted according to ability/income.
Capitation = predetermined payment per enrolled patient.
Co-payment = patient’s portion of the cost.
EOB = Explanation of Benefits.
⭐ PUBLIC HEALTH HISTORY
When you’re asked about the beginning/role of dental hygiene, the review specifically says:
Think MASS EDUCATION + TREATMENT + PREVENTION.
Public+Health+Review2026.pdf
Your final guide specifically asks what Dr. Fones believed the role of the dental hygienist should be and how hygienists could best serve the public.
Final+Study+Guide+DH+224+2026.pdf
⭐ OTHER TERMS TO KNOW
Your instructor explicitly listed these as final-exam terminology, so don’t skip them:
Final+Study+Guide+DH+224+2026.pdf
Dental Public Health — prevention/control of dental disease and promotion of oral health through organized community efforts.
Malpractice — professional negligence.
Practice Act/Dental Practice Act — state law regulating dental professionals and scope of practice.
Statutory law — law created by a legislative body.
Ethics — principles governing right/wrong professional conduct.
Collaboration — working together toward a common goal.
Change agent — helps bring about change.
Catalyst — stimulates/initiates change.
Resource linker — connects people with resources.
Process helper — helps a group work through the process of change/problem-solving.
Lobbying — attempting to influence legislation/policy.
Values — beliefs about what is important/desirable.
Motivation — internal/external drive toward action.
🚨 WHAT I WOULD MEMORIZE FIRST
If you’re cramming, make sure you can answer these without looking:
Program order: Assessment → DH Diagnosis → Planning → Implementation → Evaluation/Documentation.
FIRST step of community program = Assessment.
Need = required; Demand = desired; Utilization = actually used; Supply = available.
DPH population: HIGH need + LOW demand.
Goal of DPH = reduce oral disease through prevention/promotion.
Health education = teaching; health promotion = informing + motivating.
Education alone does NOT guarantee behavior change.
Learning ladder: Unawareness → Awareness → Self-interest → Involvement → Action → Habit.
Five dimensions: Physical, Mental, Social, Spiritual, Emotional.
Quantitative = numbers; Qualitative = why/how.
Formative = during; Summative = after.
Good index: clear, simple, objective, valid, reliable, quantifiable, sensitive, easy.
Ramfjord: 3, 9, 12, 19, 25, 28.
PSR/CPITN: 0 healthy, 1 bleeding, 2 calculus, 3 = 4–5 mm, 4 = 6+ mm.
DMFT: Decayed, Missing, Filled.
0.2% NaF = WEEKLY.
Medicaid = Title XIX.
Sealant programs = grades 2–6.
Best use of DPH hygienist’s time = educate teachers/caregivers who work with target population.
Include community leaders/target population in program planning