The Data Entry section overview

The Data Entry section of the Perio panel contains the Perio Navigation and Tooth Information controls. You can use these controls to enter data from periodontal exams.

The perio navigation controls

To speed up entering periodontal exam data, you can advance from site to site and tooth to tooth automatically.

Since different care providers chart in different ways, you can set up general navigation "scripts." These scripts indicate which measurements will be entered (PD, GM, CAL, and so forth) and in what order.

You can also navigate the Data Chart using the Perio Navigation buttons. The navigation buttons on the Data Entry section let you move the Data Chart cursor independent of a script. With a mouse click, you can move the cursor left to right or right to left and up or down. You can also move from tooth to tooth or arch to arch.

The tooth information controls

Using tooth information controls, you can input data specific to different sites on the selected tooth.

·        Tooth # - Reference only: Displays the current tooth number and the side of the tooth being charted.

·        Facial/Lingual - Click to switch between the same measurement on the opposite side of the current tooth.

·        Arch - Click to switch between the same measurement on the same side of the tooth in the opposite arch.

·        Home - Click to return to the first entry point of the currently selected tooth navigation script.

You can also enter probing depths, gingival margins, clinical attachment levels, mucogingival junction measurements, furcation grades, and bleeding and suppuration points for the left, center, and right sides of the selected tooth.

You can type measurements less than nine millimeters directly in the Data Chart, or you can type each measurement in the text boxes or click the appropriate measurement using the number pad. To learn about how to enter measurements greater than nine millimeters, please click the following link: "Entering measurements greater than 9 mm."

Note: Since the distal and mesial sides change once you reach the mid-point of the mouth, and in an attempt to lessen any confusion that may result due to this shift in perspective, you will see the letters L and R or the terms left and right in Dentrix. The terms distal and mesial appear too, and in the Tooth Information group box, these terms switch places automatically once you reach the mid-point of the mouth during an examination.

Use your keyboard, mouse, or light pen to enter the following information:

·        PD - Probing depth measurements. You can set up Dentrix to automatically advance through the boxes depending on your path settings. (You can override the calculations in this field, depending on the calculation option you selected for the current script in setup. The option will be inactive, so you cannot override the calculations.) See Customizing perio entry settings for more information.

·        GM - Gingival margin measurements. You can set up Dentrix to automatically advance through the boxes depending on your path settings. (Depending on the calculation option you selected in setup, this option may be grayed out.) See Customizing perio entry settings for more information.

·        CAL - Clinical attachment level measurements or recession line. You can set up Dentrix to automatically advance through the boxes depending on your path settings. (Depending on the calculation option you selected in setup, this option may be grayed out.) See Customizing perio entry settings for more information.

·        MGJ - Mucogingival junction measurements. You can set up Dentrix to automatically advance through the boxes depending on your path settings.

·        FG - Furcation grade. Click and select the appropriate measurement from the list.

·        F0 - No pocket is at the top of the roots; the gingiva is high enough so that a pocket is not visible.

·        F1 - The gingiva is recessed enough that you can see where the roots are starting to split, but you cannot get any depth measurement.

·        F2 - You can start to measure some depth in the pocket (usually between 1– 3 mm).

·        F3 - You can probe all the way through the pocket to the other side of the tooth.

·        F4 - No soft tissue is holding onto the tooth, only hard tissue.

·        Bld - A bleeding point on the tooth. A red oval that corresponds to the selected tooth and site appears on the data chart.

Notes:

·        You can also press B on your keyboard at the appropriate point in the path to accomplish the same task.

·        You can enter bleeding for the left and right of the selected tooth simultaneously by selecting the double check box.

·        Sup - An infection point on the tooth. A yellow oval that corresponds to the selected tooth and site appears on the data chart.

Notes:

·        You can also press S on your keyboard at the appropriate point in the path to accomplish the same task. To add both suppuration and bleeding to the same tooth, press Ctrl + B. Dentrix adds both suppuration and bleeding symbols to the selected tooth.

·        You can enter suppuration for the left and right of the selected tooth simultaneously by selecting the double check box.

Select from the following options to record mobility, plaque, and bone loss:

·        Mobility - Select the appropriate mobility classification. The number appears in the center placement of the PMB line on the Data Chart.

·        Plaque - Select the appropriate plaque classification. A corresponding number appears in the left placement of the PMB line on the Data Chart.

·        Bone Loss -  Select the appropriate bone loss classification. A corresponding number appears in the right placement of the PMB line on the Data Chart.