The Utah Dental Hygienists Association announces recepient of the
Salt Lake City , Utah . 15 September 2006 – At the annual gathering of the Utah Dental Hygienists Association, Debra Danel, RDH, BS of Sunset Utah received a very special award for being dedicated to her profession. Here is her story:
On a snowy morning in November 2004, Debra Danel and her husband were on their way to the funeral for a family member in Hamilton , Montana . The pickup truck they were riding in went out of control on the icy freeway, and they rolled several times, end over end. Debra was wearing a seatbelt, but when she came to, after briefly losing consciousness, she had no sensation below her neck. She knew something was dreadfully wrong.
Debra was raised in Clearfield Utah . She graduated from Clearfield High School in 1972 where she played flute in the marching band. She has four children: Brandon, Aaron, Nicole and Ean. They have been seeing their mother a lot these days.
Debra was accepted into the Dental Hygiene program at Weber State University in 1994 and received her Associate of Science degree in 1996. In 2001, she went on to get her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. She was employed as a full time Dental Hygienist at the Hill Air Force Base dental clinic. She enjoyed making a difference in the oral health of her patients, often times improving the quality of their lives.
One and a half years ago, that all changed. Three days after the accident, Debra awoke, groggy, in the ICU of a regional hospital in Ogden . Her son worked there as an anesthesia technician with the very surgeons that were treating her – a good personal connection. She had lost motor function in all of her body. She could not make her fingers or anything else work. No longer able to feel much, the “feeling” of clean teeth became even more important to this dental professional. The sensation of heavy plaque covering her teeth soon became intolerable. By the fourth day of no oral hygiene, Debra had to ask a nurse to brush her teeth. Didn’t they know that bacterial deposits accumulate on teeth, even though no food could be taken by mouth? Debra did.
Tooth brushing was not that simple. Spitting was very difficult for this new patient. Fortunately one nurse remembered a piece of equipment left by a sales rep for them to try. It was a saliva ejector (a plastic straw that creates suction) that could attach directly to the respiratory unit, designed to eliminate toothpaste foam and saliva. Debra was happy to achieve some normalcy with a clean mouth, but questions continued to tug at her heartstrings:
Why did I, or any other patient, have to ask for this basic health care service?
What do other people do, who do not know about systemic bacteria,
to preserve their health?
Here’s what Debra, and all Dental Hygienist’s know: bacteria in dental plaque can inflict damage on susceptible gum tissue and tooth enamel. In only 24 hours, bacteria become harmful and in 2-3 days gums become inflamed and bleed to touch. Bacterial plaque will adhere to teeth, causing a decaying process to begin. The design of the sulcus – a ¼ inch deep cuff around each tooth – acts as a channel for accumulating bacteria to enter the blood stream – and course through out the body. As a patient, anticipating months of rehabilitation and possibly surgery, Debra did not want bacteria in her blood stream. Isn’t the concept of rehabilitation to improve health?
She found that she had to ask for thorough oral care almost daily. Proper Brushing and Flossing take a minimum of 5 minutes per patient. She could see that most CNA’s, Nurses, Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists did not have the training or the time to do “extras” like oral hygiene. Some seemed to have an aversion to saliva, and had noticed tooth brushing caused bleeding. It appeared that effective oral care was not in any medical staff members’ job description.
Debra was fortunate to have medical staff that was interested and willing to take extra time to learn. She knew the cause of bleeding gums and the cure. In fact, she did such a good job at motivating them, many of them started flossing their own teeth and Debra helped one nurse convince a spouse to give up chewing tobacco. Debra found it difficult to teach the manual task of oral hygiene. Without the use of her hands to demonstrate, it was similar to verbally instructing a person on the fine art of donning pantyhose! The end result: Her caregivers started taking better care of their patient’s oral hygiene needs and taking more responsibility for their own.
“I was very lucky to receive this service. I have since learned that others in LTC/rehabilitation units do not get this same level of care. ” Says Danels.
Obviously Debra can no longer work as a clinical Dental Hygienist. It took her three weeks to gain enough strength to “fling” one fist up, in an attempt to scratch an itch. Her nose didn’t bleed, but she knew she had to work harder. With therapy, she gained strength in her elbows, then her shoulders and some limited movement in her wrists. Still her fingers do not work. She uses balance and gravity with a sling to open her glass sliding door, which opens on to the deck. From there she can load herself onto an elevator lift, down to her patio, wheel over to her new van and use a remote to slide open the van door and eject a ramp. Although “BLAST-OFF” seems like the next appropriate feat from this space age vehicle, Debra can only wheel into the passenger compartment. She still needs a driver, until things improve for her. Aaron did just that for her, and in August she was able to take her first overnight road trip since November 27, 2004 . She reports that UTA has been very good on her route, and she can use some public transportation in good weather.
With a little help from her friends Debra has taken up piecing quilt tops with a sewing machine again – but she has another new venture. Debra said: “ I can’t do clinical work, but I can still practice dental hygiene by sharing my knowledge”. At the invitation of the University of Utah Occupational Therapy Department , Debra conducted a brown bag seminar for Occupational Therapy students. Her newest area of expertise: “Effective Oral Hygiene and the use of Adaptive Devices for the Rehabilitation Patient.”
“This is not just my story, she says. It should be a concern for all patients in long term care, and their families.” This dedication to her profession, in spite of extreme personal challenges, is the reason her peers consider her one of the most dedicated hygienists in Utah. If you know someone in long term care that would benefit from Debra’s new found knowledge, please call:
Sheri Eurick, RDH, BS, UDHA Public Relations Chair 801-521-2179
Names in photo left to right:
Judy Boothby, RDH, RDHAP, BS Gerontology and
Debra Danel, RDH, BS at the UDHA annual session in Salt Lake City.