Exploring dental and oral hygiene students' interprofessional readiness: a cross-sectional study in joint paediatric outreach training

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional education is vital in oral healthcare education and should be integrated into both theoretical and work-based education. Little research addresses interprofessional education in dental hands-on training in authentic oral healthcare settings. The aim of the study was to examine the readiness and attitudes of dental and oral hygiene students towards interprofessional education during joint paediatric outreach training.

METHODS

In the spring of 2022, a cross-sectional study was done involving dental and oral hygiene students using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) during joint paediatric outreach training. The 19-item tool was answered on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree). Means, standard deviations, minimums, maximums, and medians were calculated for each subscale and overall score. Students grouped according to their categorical variables were compared for statistically significant differences. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used for groups of two and the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis for groups of three or more. The internal consistency of the scale was measured with Cronbach's alpha. Statistical level was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

The survey included 111 participants, consisting of 51 oral hygiene students and 60 dental students, with a response rate of 93%. The questionnaire yielded a high overall mean score of 4.2. Both oral hygiene (4.3) and dental students (4.2) displayed strong readiness for interprofessional education measured by the RIPLS. The subscale of teamwork and collaboration achieved the highest score of 4.5. Students lacking prior healthcare education or work experience obtained higher RIPLS scores. Oral hygiene students rated overall items (p = 0.019) and the subscales of positive professional identity (p = < 0.001) and roles and responsibilities (p = 0.038) higher than dental students. The Cronbach's alpha represented high internal consistency for overall RIPLS scores on the scale (0.812).

CONCLUSIONS

Both oral hygiene and dental students perceived shared learning as beneficial and showcased high readiness for interprofessional education, as evident in their RIPLS scores. Integrating interprofessional learning into oral hygiene and dental curricula is important. Studying together can form a good basis for future working life collaboration.

Medical and Dental Students' Perception of Interdisciplinary Knowledge, Teaching Content, and Interprofessional Status at a German University: A Cross-Sectional Study

Although oral health is considered a key indicator of overall health, dentistry is still neglected in medical education at the university level. Interprofessional education (IPE) is an important tool to promote collaboration among health care providers and to reduce barriers to access in health care. In this cross-sectional study, medical and dental students at Mainz University, Germany, were surveyed regarding their perception of interdisciplinary knowledge, teaching content, interprofessional standing, and attitudes toward IPE. Spearman's rank correlation was used to identify associated statements. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to understand how sex, study progress, and prior education might influence student attitudes. In total, 426 medical students and 211 dental students were included in the study. Dental students rated their interdisciplinary knowledge higher than medical students. The relevance of IPE as assessed by the students correlated significantly with their motivation to continue IPE after graduation. Both groups of students valued the other discipline but rejected a combined graduate program. Students with prior professional training valued the synergy of medicine and dentistry more the students without prior training. Interprofessional knowledge and interest in IPE was higher among dental students. Understanding students' attitudes toward IPE is an important prerequisite for adapting university curricula to strengthen students' attitudes and motivation.

Physicians' awareness of oral-systemic links and its association with physician-reported patient referral to dentists

INTRODUCTION

Physicians promote oral health by screening for oral pathologies, providing emergency help, and referring patients to dentists. The literature consistently reports a robust association between periodontal disease and systemic diseases. However, it is not fully known if physicians in Saudi Arabia are aware of the oral-systemic disease links. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate physicians' awareness of the oral-systemic disease links and their association with patients' referral to dentists and patients' access to oral care.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted (June 2019-January 2020) on physicians working in private and public hospitals in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The physicians (n = 333) responded to a paper-based self-administered and pilot-tested questionnaire which inquired about their awareness of oral-systemic disease links and patient referral to dentists. The reliability of items of oral-systemic disease links was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's alpha (0.84).

RESULTS

Most participants (92.8%) agreed/strongly agreed that oral health is associated with systemic health. Half of the sample (50.8%) referred patients to dentists during the last month. Almost 80.5% believed that more patients will be referred to the dentists because of their awareness of the oral-systemic disease links and 84% believed that more patients will access oral care services if patients were aware of the oral-systemic disease links. The participants who referred patients to the dentists during the last month (P = 0.038), believed that more patients will be referred (P = 0.001), and believed that more patients will access oral care (P = 0.003) demonstrated significantly higher oral-systemic disease links awareness score. The adjusted model showed patients' referral to dentist (OR = 1.96.10, P = 0.006) and believing in more patients accessing oral care (OR = 2.05, P = 0.044) were associated with significantly increased awareness of the oral-systemic disease links.

CONCLUSION

Most physicians in the study were aware of the oral-systemic disease links. Increased awareness of the oral-systemic disease links was significantly associated with the referral of patients to dentists and belief in improved patients' access to oral care services.

Hospital Dentistry: The Swiss-Army Knife of Dental Medicine

Hospital Dentistry is an inclusive synergism of the recognized dental specialties in an emergency/hospital atmosphere. This perspective composition serves to display the breadth of Hospital Dentistry from an observational and creative viewpoint while elucidating the role of the Hospital Dentist in the dynamic large university hospital setting. It calls for increased awareness of the field of Hospital Dentistry and the potential for its specialized role in the future of dental medicine. Hospital-based General Practice Residencies (GPR) expose trainees to Hospital Dentistry and its integrated role in medicine. Exploring the ventures of Hospital Dentistry highlight the need to increase Hospital Dentistry-focused student groups while encouraging advanced dental education through GPR programs. The rising geriatric community, complex patient caseload, and population growth call for the need to expand the field of Hospital Dentistry through its recognition as a specialty in the future of dental medicine.

Attitude toward and awareness of medical-dental collaboration among medical and dental students in a university in Indonesia

Background

Medical-dental collaboration expands patients’ access to health services, improves healthcare outcomes, and reduces the burden and cost of care, especially for those with chronic diseases. The aim of the present study is to investigate the attitude toward and awareness of medical-dental collaboration among medical and dental students attending the Universitas Indonesia.

Methods

All medical and dental students at the Universitas Indonesia were invited to participate in a web-based questionnaire survey that contained eight questions on attitudes toward medical-dental collaboration and two questions regarding awareness of dental-medical collaborative practices. The demographic backgrounds of all participants were obtained. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were employed for data analysis.

Results

A total of 1,432 questionnaires were distributed, and 1,137 (79%) were appropriately completed. In general, 992 (87%) students had a positive attitude toward medical-dental collaboration. Dental students had a more positive attitude than medical students (odds ratio [OR] = 2.694; p = 0.001), and senior students had a more positive attitude than junior students (OR = 2.271; p = 0.001). Most students (86%) were aware of medical-dental collaboration at the Universitas Indonesia and reported that emergency medicine, surgery, and otolaryngology were the three most common medical disciplines that entailed medical-dental collaboration. Conclusions: In general, the medical and dental students demonstrated positive attitudes and awareness of medical-dental collaboration at the Universitas Indonesia. Positive attitude and awareness can establish an essential foundation for fostering collaboration between medicine and dentistry, which is vital to improve resource efficiency and healthcare standards.

Interprofessional Education in U.S. Dental Hygiene Programs: Program Director Responses Before and After Introduction of CODA Standard 2-15

A 2014 survey found that dental hygiene program directors perceived interprofessional education (IPE) as a priority for themselves and the dental hygiene profession in the U.S. The aim of this study was to explore whether IPE collaborations in dental hygiene programs and program directors' attitudes changed from 2014 to 2017 since the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) Standard 2-15 on IPE was introduced in August 2016. In May 2017, directors of all 325 U.S. dental hygiene programs were invited to participate in a web-based survey. A total of 117 directors responded, for a 38% response rate, and their responses were then compared with the responses in 2014 (that survey had a 33% response rate). The results showed that, while the percentage of responding dental hygiene programs with a nursing program on campus had decreased (90% to 80%; p<0.022), the likelihood of having other health care-related programs on campus did not change. In 2017 as compared to 2014, the programs were still most likely to collaborate with nursing (50% vs. 46%) and other allied health professions (44% vs. 56%) and in intraprofessional education with dental assisting programs (41% vs. 41%). IPE was still most likely to occur in volunteer activities (68% vs. 73%), basic science courses (65% vs. 60%), and communications training (63% vs. 63%). In 2017, program directors rated IPE as less challenging for programs to manage than in 2014 (on five-point scale with 1=not at all challenging: 3.31 vs. 3.62; p=0.022). However, the responding directors did not view IPE as being as important to the profession in 2017 as the respondents reported in 2014 (3.29 vs. 3.88; p<0.001). The majority in 2017 agreed/strongly agreed that Standard 2-15 will improve the profile of dental hygiene as part of the health care team (77%) and contribute to integrating dental hygiene into interprofessional care (IPC) teams (78%). Overall, this study found that the introduction of an explicit IPE dental hygiene CODA standard in 2016 had already resulted in changes after only one year. However, the responding program directors' lower agreement with statements concerning their graduates' IPC-related competence deserves further attention.

The Dentist's Role in Southern Brazilian Teaching Hospitals: A Grounded Theory Study

The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical model to describe the role that the dentist plays in Brazilian hospital settings. This qualitative study was based on the grounded theory research method. Participants were a total of 27 individuals in three groups: dentists and general practice and oral and maxillofacial surgery residents; faculty; and other health professionals who interacted with dental patients in the hospital setting during the 2012-13 year. Data were collected in three teaching hospitals in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, through scripted interviews using open-ended questions. The stages of collection, codification, ordination, and integration of data were guided by constant comparative techniques to formulate a theoretical model. The codes generated were organized into seven categories: identifying the hospital as a working and teaching environment; recalling the dentists' professional pathways; reflecting on the dentist's work in the hospital; considering the political and organizational dimension of the role of the dentist in the hospital; understanding patients' life and health contexts; education and professional practice; and moving on towards interdisciplinary practices in the hospital setting. Integrating the categories led to a theoretical model called "The Dentist's Role in the Hospital Setting: An Interdisciplinary Construction." This theoretical model provides a framework to understand how dentists perform in the hospital setting, with a focus on interdisciplinary practice, which in this study was shown to be incipient and heterogeneous.