Browsing by Subject "Dental students"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Assessing the Effectiveness of Web-Based Modules on Human Papillomavirus Among Dental and Dental Hygiene Students
    (Springer, 2023) Shukla, Anubhuti; Chintapalli, Aparna; Ahmed, Mohammed Khader Alisha Bin; Welch, Kelly; Villa, Alessandro; Cariology, Operative Dentistry and Dental Public Health, School of Dentistry
    Literature suggests that deficiencies among dental professional students in both knowledge and awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) and its association with oropharyngeal cancers (OPC), as well as its risk factors implicating the prevalence of HPV, may be due to the lack of HPV-related education during professional schooling. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an online learning tool to educate dental and dental hygiene students about HPV and its association with OPC, rapidly evolving disease patterns, and dental professionals' role in HPV-associated OPC prevention efforts. A three-section online learning module was developed to improve dental professionals' comfort levels with, and knowledge of, HPV. The participants were recruited to participate in surveys before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were computed to study the effectiveness of the modules in improving the knowledge of students about this topic. Pre-intervention survey participants totaled 142, and 107 participants answered the post-intervention survey. The majority of the study participants had some baseline understanding of HPV prior to accessing the modules. After reviewing the modules, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of respondents who identified OPC (p = 0.01), vaginal cancer (0.02), vulvar cancer (0.04), and penile cancer (0.01) as associated with HPV. A gap in the understanding of HPV vaccine-eligible groups was noted in almost half of the participants; while most participants could correctly identify that boys and girls aged 9-12 years were eligible to get the vaccine, the gap in knowledge in this regard was related to "25-year-old with an abnormal pap result." Due to the evolving nature of this topic, there is a need to find new and effective methods of disseminating HPV-related information among the existing and future dental workforce.
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    Dental students providing oral hygiene instruction and supplies to community children
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) McCormick, Jayme; Kowolik, Joan
    Background: Lack of understanding of the need for oral care may be the cause of the high caries rate in inner-city children. IUSD “Kids Club” offers dental students an opportunity to provide oral hygiene instructions and supplies to children around Indianapolis. The members of “Kids Club” travel to elementary schools and after-school programs in the Indianapolis area to educate children and their families. Education is provided in ways which engage the children via interactive puppet-use and stories. The ultimate goal of “Kids Club” is to aid in oral disease prevention by promoting proper oral hygiene. Methods: In two weeks’ time, “Kids Club” members visited six pre-school classes in Indianapolis to promote proper oral hygiene, oral health care, and better understanding of oral disease. At the beginning of a session, the children were asked six questions regarding oral health care. Oral hygiene education was then performed using interactive puppet play and story-telling. After the oral hygiene demonstration, the same six questions were repeated. Results: The largest difference in correct answers prior to the lesson and after was 29% (from 71% to 100%). By comparing the responses before and after the lesson, it can be seen that “Kids Club” members are improving the oral health care knowledge of the children. Not only are these lessons positive learning experiences for the children, but they are also positive learning experiences for the “Kids Club” members. By assessing the effectiveness of the oral hygiene lesson given at previous events, members are able to perfect their teaching abilities for future oral hygiene instruction. Conclusion: By providing oral hygiene education, “Kids Club” members are helping to increase the oral health care knowledge of school-aged children and helping to prevent future disease among the children of the Indianapolis.
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    Dentists as Primary Care Providers: Expert Opinion on Predoctoral Competencies
    (Frontiers Media, 2021) Gordon, Sara C.; Kaste, Linda M.; Mouradian, Wendy E.; Beemsterboer, Phyllis L.; Berg, Joel H.; Murdoch-Kinch, Carol Anne; Oral Pathology, Medicine and Radiology, School of Dentistry
    Dentistry and medicine traditionally practice as separate professions despite sharing goals for optimal patient health. Many US residents experience both poor oral and general health, with difficulty accessing care. More efficient collaboration between these professions could enhance health. The COVID-19 pandemic disclosed further disparities while underscoring concerns that physician supply is inadequate for population needs. Hence, enhancing healthcare provider education to better meet the public's health needs is critical. The proposed titles “Oral Physician” or “Oral Health Primary Care Provider” (OP-PCP) acknowledge dentist's capacity to diagnose and manage diseases of the orofacial complex and provide some basic primary healthcare. The US Surgeon General's National Prevention Council and others recommend such models. Medical and dental education already overlap considerably, thus it is plausible that dental graduates could be trained as OP-PCPs to provide primary healthcare such as basic screening and preventive services within existing dental education standards. In 2018, 23 dental and medical educators participated in an expert-opinion elicitation process to review educational competencies for this model. They demonstrated consensus on educational expansion and agreed that the proposed OP-PCP model could work within existing US Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards for predoctoral education. However, there were broader opinions on scope of practice details. Existing CODA standards could allow interested dental programs to educate OP-PCPs as a highly-skilled workforce assisting with care of medically-complex patients and to helping to reduce health disparities. Next steps include broader stakeholder discussion of OC-PCP competencies and applied studies including patient outcome assessments.