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Crazy About Hygiene
by Ann-Marie C. DePalma, RDH, MeD, FAADH amrdh@aol.com
Imagine practising clinical hygiene without the benefit of power scaling. It involves hours upon hours spent hand scaling and all the trauma and ineffectiveness of providing that type of treatment. But that is what many clinicians in the past have done. Madalyn Rosenbluth, RDH, BS, has taken the historical narratives and beginnings of power scaling and provided participants with the latest in scientific research in her program, “Evolution of Ultrasonics in Dentistry: Infancy through Implants and Beyond.”
She takes participants through a technical and clinical journey that includes an array of historical, scientific, and practical applications of power scaling while discussing the evolution of equipment and inserts. Madalyn’s goals for any of her ultrasonic programs revolve around increasing clinicians’ knowledge of what lies beyond the handpiece. She discusses cavitational therapies and the role cavitation plays in debridement treatments for patients. Madalyn believes that participants will come away from the program more aware of the benefits of power scaling. All dental team members, including the doctor, can benefit from understanding the importance of ultrasonic scaling. She feels that, by all team members participating in the program, they gain a deeper respect for the hygienist. They also learn the use of advanced clinical techniques while learning the proper care and feel of the equipment. Her programs are presented in PowerPoint with a lecture, discussion, and question-and-answer session. She provides a handout with the timeline of significant events in power scaling.
Madalyn became interested in ultrasonics through her patient, friend, and mentor, Tony Riso. She met Tony in the late 1970s when he moved to south Florida to start his ultrasonic business. He had been one of the pioneering engineers for Cavitron Corp. Tony is the developer of the modified ultrasonic tips that we use today. This relationship, coupled with that of her other mentor, father-in-law, Morton Rosenbluth, DDS – a world-renowned periodontist – excited her about the possibilities of power scaling.