02-07

Michele L. Darby, BSDH, MS
Old Dominion University

Introduction
Tactile sensitivity is the ability to distinguish relative degrees. of tooth surface roughness or smoothness through the sense of touch and proprioception.) A person's tactile sensitivity may be impaired because of a musculoskeletal and nerve disorders associated with cumulative trauma, repetitive tasks, and high frequency vibrations.2 Therefore, the use of ultrasonic scalers, with their high frequency vibrations and noise, may be a factor affecting tactile sensitivity in dental hygienists.

Ultrasonic scalers reduce cumulative trauma disorders in practitioners, save time, and access pocket areas that cannot be reached with hand scaling alone.3 Long hours at the dental chair and increased client loads as a result of managed care are motivating factors for increased ultrasonic scaler usage rates. With advances in mechanized instrumentation, tactile sensitivity in the practitioner using ultrasonic technology has been overlooked. Ultrasonic scalers diminish the time spent scaling and load force on the hygienists' hands and arms, but tactile sensitivity may be compromised. The effects of the ultrasonic scaler on tactile sensitivity need to be investigated.

Statement of the Problem
The purpose of this research is to determine if ultrasonic scaler usage affects tactile sensitivity in dental hygiene students. In doing so, ultrasonic scaling will be compared to hand scaling.