DANB CDA Exam 200 Questions And Answers

The chief complaint is the reason the patient has come to the appointment. This is in the patient's own words and is often the first part of the documentation in the dental record for a specific visit. It is often abbreviated as "CC" for documentation purposes.

The patient's health and dental histories should be updated at least once per year, or whenever there is a change in their medical or dental health. Best practice is to ask the patient if there are any changes or updates to their medical or dental history at every appointment. This information can usually be provided by the patient themselves, if they are an adult.

For the external clinical evaluation, scrutinize the patient discreetly as he or she enters the room for indicators of abuse, nutrition issues, poor health, and aging. Focus on these issues that impact dental or orthodontic care: exaggerated facial asymmetry; swelling (edema); speech problems; abnormal lip smacking; mouth breathing; and thumb sucking. Examine the lips for cracking or parching from dry mouth (xerostomia), which indicates underlying disease (e.g., thrush, vitamin deficiency, hypothyroidism, autoimmune diseases, or psychiatric drug use).

A certified dental or orthodontic assistant can legally perform both the external and internal clinical evaluation in most states. After examining the patient extraorally, perform an internal oral examination. Note mouth wounds, abscessed teeth, and abnormal mucosa colorations.

Normal occlusion should give a mesognathic facial profile, a straight line between jaws with only a slight projection of the mandible, relative to the upper part of the face.

Blood pressure (BP) is controlled by the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and kidney. Pain, exercise, and fear increase blood pressure. Use either a stethoscope and sphygomanometer or an automated BP clip to measure BP. A thin adult needs a pediatric cuff. Use a tight cuff on an obese patient's arm. A normal adult male's BP is 120/80 mmHg. Small women and children have lower blood pressures. Elders have higher blood pressure.

Shallow lesions that appear on the surface of the oral mucosa include blisters, bullas, pustules, vesicles, papules, plaques, and hematomas. Shallow lesions are significant because they may be contagious, are painful, and can prevent the patient from obtaining proper nutrition.

Deep lesions that appear underneath the surface of the oral mucosa include abscesses, cysts, ulcers and erosions.

Aphthous ulcers are canker sores, painful oral ulcerations of unknown origin. Aphthous ulcers have lesions with yellow centers encircled by red halos. The yellow center is actually necrosis of epithelial cells. Aphthous ulcers do not appear to be contagious.

Inflammation is the body's reaction to infection, allergy, or injury. Inflammation is characterized by redness, heat, swelling, and pain. Inflammation is characterized by redness, heat, swelling, and pain. Inflammation occurs because an injury, allergy, or disease causes immune cells to release histamine into the area. Histamine increases blood flow, manifesting as redness and heat.