People With Tourette Syndrome

People with Tourette syndrome live a more difficult life than normal. Physically, they can face problems with their body due to tics that occurs with this condition. They also face difficulties mentally, such as anxiety, depression, ADHD and OCD. People with Tourette syndrome may also interfere with their daily living, including going to the dentist. As stated by the Tourette Syndrome Fact Sheet (2012), there are no formal testing for this condition, but to diagnose, a series of questions are asked to the patient. Self-diagnosing is common and to rule out other conditions, a MRI, CT scan or EEG may be used (Tourette Syndrome Fact Sheet, 2012). When diagnosing someone with Tourette syndrome, motor/vocal tics must be present for at least one
Korman (2003) mentions that if the dentist is not aware of the medications the patient is taking, “he or she may not consider additional preventive care”, such as fluoride for high risk of decay. Since there are quite a few dental implications, there are several techniques that a hygienist can perform to help prevent or eliminate the chances of any oral problems. An essential modification to consider is making appointments shorter for those with the condition, preventing the patient from having to suppress their tics for long periods of time (Korman, 2003). From Korman’s (2003) article, Professor Peter Hollenbeck, who is diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, mentions that the light is an irritating stimulus to his tics and when the hygienist leaves the room he would let out a burst of tics. He also states that he makes the dental hygienist aware of when he anticipates a tic so the dental hygienist can pull back. There are several alterations in a dental setting that can be performed to ensure that an individual with this condition receives their treatment to its full