The Assessment of Dental Implants:  A Comprehensive Guide for the Dental Hygienist

Date: November 3, 2026 | 7:00 PM CST/8:00 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Credits: 1
Presenter: Katrina M. Sanders, RDH & Melissa Stair, RDH
Cost: $12.99 / Free for Premium Access Pass members

Dental implants have transformed the way dental professionals restore function, esthetics, and quality of life, but as implant therapy continues to evolve, so must the dental hygienist’s approach to assessment. Today’s implant patient requires more than a routine periodontal evaluation. Implant design, prosthetic components, tissue characteristics, systemic and behavioral risk factors, radiographic findings, and subtle changes in the peri-implant environment all influence long-term success.

Join periodontal dental hygienists Katrina M. Sanders, RDH, and Melissa Stair, RDH, as they combine clinical experience with contemporary evidence to explore modern trends and techniques for performing comprehensive implant assessments. Designed specifically for the dental hygienist, this one-hour program moves beyond simply identifying bleeding or measuring probing depths to develop a more sophisticated understanding of what clinicians should evaluate, document, monitor, and communicate throughout the life of a dental implant.

Participants will explore the clinical and radiographic characteristics associated with peri-implant health, peri-implant mucositis, and peri-implantitis while examining how baseline records and longitudinal changes can provide critical insight into implant stability. The course will also address implant-specific risk factors, prosthetic considerations, tissue assessment, probing techniques, radiographic interpretation, documentation, and emerging technologies that can enhance clinical decision-making.

Through a practical, hygiene-focused approach, Katrina and Melissa will help clinicians connect individual assessment findings to the bigger clinical picture, recognizing when an implant is healthy, when subtle changes warrant closer observation, and when findings indicate the need for intervention or interdisciplinary collaboration.

Because maintaining an implant begins long before instrumentation touches its surface. It begins with knowing exactly what, and how, to assess.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, participants should be able to:

1. Perform a comprehensive dental implant assessment using clinical, radiographic, periodontal, prosthetic, and patient-specific findings to establish a baseline and monitor implant health over time.
2. Differentiate between peri-implant health, peri-implant mucositis, and peri-implantitis by recognizing key clinical and radiographic findings associated with health, inflammation, and progressive disease.
3. Apply assessment findings to clinical decision-making by identifying risk factors, documenting changes, determining appropriate maintenance strategies, and recognizing when intervention, collaboration, or referral is indicated.

Presented By

Katrina M. Sanders, MEd, BSDH, RDH, RF, is a clinical dental hygienist, author, and international speaker. She is a periodontal hygienist and serves as the clinical liaison to Hygiene Excellence and Innovation for AZPerio. Known as the “Dental Resultant,” Katrina consults hygiene departments to optimize metrics and patient excellence. She is the founder, CEO, and keynote speaker for Sanders Board Preparatory, a published author with Dentaltown and Today’s RDH, a columnist and advisory board member for Modern Hygienist and Dental Academy of Continuing Education, and brand ambassador for Dimensions of Dental Hygiene.