Effectiveness of interprofessional oral health program for pediatric nurse practitioner students at Northeastern University, United States

Evaluating pre-and post-oral health literacy of undergraduate nursing students on an oral-systemic health learning intervention

INTRODUCTION

Oral health is significantly linked with systemic health. Nurses play a crucial role in patient education. Improving oral health literacy in nursing students can pave the way for the seamless integration of oral health into nursing practice.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate an interprofessional co-designed oral-systemic health learning intervention using a pre-and-post study design that measured oral health literacy levels among Year 2 undergraduate nursing students.

METHODS

Evaluation was measured using the validated Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge questionnaire before and after the semester-long education intervention. Data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests and an analysis of variance one-way analysis of variance.

RESULTS

A total of 78 out of 164 students (82% female, 42% aged 21-24, and 52% speaking English as a first language) participated in the pre- and post-study surveys. Statistically significant improvement was noted in pre-and-post total oral health literacy scores (Pre 14.92 [3.85] vs.. Post 15.85 [3.74], p = 0.031). Students showed the highest proficiency in the domain of oral disease prevention, while oral cancer knowledge was the least mastered domain. Those without English as their first language and those with secondary education as the highest qualification showed the greatest improvement in oral health literacy scores post-intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the efficacy of an interprofessional co-designed oral-systemic educational intervention in increasing oral health literacy among undergraduate nursing students. This intervention marks a preliminary step towards integrating oral health into future nursing practice. Further research is warranted to explore the enduring impact of these interventions on their future clinical endeavors.

Five-year follow-up of an interdisciplinary oral health education program: Clinical practice behaviors in working pediatric nurse practitioners

ABSTRACT

Many interdisciplinary oral health education programs have been implemented for pediatric primary care providers (e.g., pediatric nurse practitioner [PNP]) to raise awareness and gain skills related to the prevention of early childhood caries (ECC). However, no studies have evaluated if these educational programs provided to PNPs during their training resulted in clinical practice behavior changes. A 33-item survey was designed on a web-based platform (Survey Monkey) and distributed to 71 PNP graduates. The survey included demographics, current clinical practice, clinical practice behaviors, and perceived barriers to practice. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the survey items and thematic analyses on the open-ended questions. The survey response rate was 70% (50/71 PNPs). Most practicing PNPs were in acute care or specialty clinics (n = 33; 66%) where oral health was not part of the focused visit. Majority used knowledge learned in assessment and anticipatory guidance skills. However, only 14% of primary care providers were applying fluoride varnish with 10% billing for this procedure. Barriers to application were time, available supplies, COVID protocols, lack of support staff, or not billing due to minimal reimbursement. Many primary care-trained PNPs were practicing in acute or subspecialty areas where prevention of ECC is not viewed as part of their focused visit. Pediatric nurse practitioners working in primary care demonstrated some clinical practice changes. However, areas for improvement are time to perform a risk assessment and application of fluoride varnish, access to these supplies, and standard billing and insurance reimbursement for these preventable services.

Awareness, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Oral Healthcare among First Year Dental, Medical, and Nursing Students

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that poor oral health can worsen general health conditions. Good collaboration between health professionals is important to provide proper oral healthcare. Thus, there is a need for oral healthcare interprofessional education (IPE). This study aimed to determine the baseline level of awareness, attitudes, and perceptions of oral healthcare among first-year students of dentistry, medicine, and nursing at Universitas Indonesia.

METHOD AND PARTICIPANTS

A cross-sectional descriptive analytical study using a previously published questionnaire was conducted involving 442 students, consisting of dental students (DS), medical students (MS), and nursing students (NS) in Universitas Indonesia.

RESULTS

Most students have shown good oral healthcare awareness, attitudes, and perception with no statistically significant difference between the groups (p < 0.05). The majority of the students did not perceive that (1) geriatric and nursing knowledge are required to practice oral care, (2) oral healthcare should be provided in cancer hospitals, and (3) oral healthcare can prevent cardiovascular disease and improve anorexia.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that there were aspects of oral healthcare that should be improved in all student groups. Thus, oral healthcare IPE should be given to all students working in healthcare to develop knowledge and interprofessional collaboration in oral healthcare.

Mixed methods evaluation of an oral health education program for pediatric dental, medical and nursing providers

PURPOSE

To evaluate the application of knowledge, attitudes, and skills learned in an oral health education program among pediatric dental and medical residents, and pediatric and family nurse practitioners (PNPs and FNPs).

METHODS

A mixed methods study design included a year-end online survey and focus groups. Eighty participants completed the survey (94%) and seven focus groups were conducted (n = 69) representing each of the four cohorts in 2020-2022. Analysis of variance was used to assess differences in survey responses by dental/medical specialty. Focus group audio recordings were analyzed using Atlas.ti.22 to identify common themes.

RESULTS

The program increased knowledge and skills in oral health core competencies and positive attitudes regarding oral health education. All PNPs (100%) and most pediatric medical residents (94%) and FNPs (91%) strongly agreed/agreed that the oral health program led to an increase in screening for early childhood caries, more confidence in applying fluoride varnish and providing oral health anticipatory guidance during patient visits. Most pediatric medical residents, PNPs and FNPS (98%) strongly agreed/agreed that primary care providers should incorporate oral health into their practice and provide referrals to dental professionals as part of well-child visits.

CONCLUSIONS

The program improved oral health-related knowledge, attitudes and skills among dental and medical primary care providers. Future oral health education programs for health care professionals can use this model to help bridge the gap between dental and primary care and ultimately improve access to preventive oral health care for children and families.

Awareness and knowledge of dental erosion and its association with beverage consumption: a multidisciplinary survey

BACKGROUND

Erosive tooth wear has significant impacts on oral and general health. This study aimed to measure the awareness of dental erosion to establish the relationships among sociodemographic factors, awareness and knowledge of dental erosion, and beverage consumption behaviours, in a sample of university students in Australia.

METHODS

All undergraduate students enrolled in the targeted programs at an Australian University were invited. A total of 418 students consented to participate. Each was assessed with an online questionnaire.

RESULTS

The awareness rate of dental erosion was 92.1%. Soft drinks and fruit juice were most often perceived as acidic beverages by the respondents. The students of greater age, and studying pharmacy, paramedicine, physiotherapy or science, were less likely to be aware of dental erosion. Those students that were aware of dental erosion also had better knowledge of dental erosion, which was associated with a reduced quantity of daily acidic beverage consumption as well. The students that predominantly resided overseas had less knowledge of dental erosion. The students that were of greater age, that were studying clinical science, pharmacy, medical science, paramedicine, or science, and that correctly identified more types of acidic beverages, more often consumed acidic beverages in high-risk patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

Erosive tooth wear is a relevant matter in dentistry, nutrition and public health. Within a university setting, the effect of education on oral health literacy and beverage consumption behaviour is confirmed. Dental and health professionals should actively educate the individuals and communities about dental erosion and motivate them to change acidic beverage consumption behaviours.

Interprofessional Oral Health Collaboration: A Survey of Knowledge and Practice Behaviors of Hospital-Based Primary Care Medical Providers in New York City

BACKGROUND

The siloed delivery of oral and medical health care in the United States has contributed to a lack of awareness of the consequences of poor oral health and has hampered effective interprofessional education and collaboration. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice behaviors of primary care medical providers in an urban safety-net hospital regarding collaboration with dentists and integration of oral health into overall health-care delivery.

METHODS

A 36-item survey was designed in a web-based platform (Survey Monkey®) and electronically distributed in September 2020 to 181 primary care medical providers (physicians, nurses, physician assistants) within a municipal hospital in the Bronx, New York. The questionnaire included sections on demographics, current practices, oral health knowledge, and opinions regarding interprofessional collaboration. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses using the chi-square and Fisher's exact test were performed with a significance level of 0.05.

RESULTS

The response rate was 66% (119 respondents). The vast majority (80%) reported little or no training in oral health and 85% reported no team experience with oral health professionals. Medical providers' confidence in examining the oral cavity was positively associated with previous additional training (p = 0.001) and with team experience (p = 0.005). The two most commonly reported barriers to willingness to collaborate were lack of formal relationships with dental providers (74%) and competing priorities (69%).

CONCLUSION

Overall, there is very limited awareness and integration of oral health into the clinical practice of medical providers at this safety-net hospital. However, those providers with previous training and team experience had greater oral health confidence. Given the critical importance of oral health to overall health, increased efforts should be directed to further educate and train medical providers and address barriers to interprofessional care.

Factors associated with a late visit to dentists by children: A cross-sectional community-based study in Saudi Arabia

Objectives

This cross-sectional study aims to determine children's age at their first visit to dentists and factors associated with these visits.

Methods

This cross-sectional community survey-based study was conducted in 2019 during the events of the 10th Gulf Oral Health Week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All participants including visitors and dentists, with current or previous experience in caring for children aged six months to ten years, provided their consents for the study.

Results

Among the visitors, 348 participated in the survey. Most children, aged three to ten years, first visited the dentist with complaints of pain and dental cavities. The risk of a late visit to the dentist increased (OR: 2.28; CI 95%: 1.01–5.14) among caregivers who did not help their children brush their teeth. Using the Internet for accessing health information negatively impacted the visits (OR: 27.00; CI 95% 1.26–57.35). While employed mothers took their children to the dentist at an earlier age (OR: 2.284; CI 95% 1.08–4.79), early visits were mostly missed by mothers with smaller families (OR: 0.043; CI 95% 0.48–0.98).

Conclusion

The results of our study show that the caregiver's attitude, source of health information, employment, age, and number of children are risk factors associated with late visits to dentists.

Effectiveness of an oral health training program for nursing professionals in India: An interventional study

OBJECTIVES

Nursing professionals form the first line of contact and are in a unique place to provide appropriate oral advice to patients. The study assessed the effectiveness of oral health training program for nurses.

DESIGN

The effectiveness of the program was evaluated by a pre and post questionnaire assessment on 50 nurses.

RESULTS

Nursing professionals had a significant increase (p < .003) in post-training knowledge scores compared to pre-training scores.

CONCLUSION

Improvement in oral health knowledge of nursing professionals has the potential for translation into practice for oral health promotion of patients and the general population.

Interprofessional peer-led learning in oral health training

Research on peer-led interprofessional learning in oral-health training for pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) students is sparse. Therefore, we conducted a mixed-methods pilot study to assess the feasibility and impact of a student-led interprofessional training program centered on pediatric oral-health with PNP and dental students. Eleven PNP students rotated through the dental clinic to receive an oral-health education from 12 second-year dental students. These students learned how to treat avulsed teeth, apply fluoride varnishes, detect caries, and to do lap-to-lap baby dental exams. A reflection and a self-report survey-measure were used to elucidate what the students gained from the experience, their satisfaction with the training, how it may be improved, and how they see future collaboration of PNPs and dentists. PNP students felt dental students were well equipped to teach them, felt confident in their ability to conduct an oral evaluation/apply fluoride varnishes, and felt the experience to be valuable to their future practices. Dental students learned the scope of practice of PNPs and ideated ways the two professions overlap and complement each other. While some may find it challenging to envision dentistry regularly collaborating with other healthcare providers, clinical interprofessional education can be one way to break down these barriers.

Nutrition as a Key Modifiable Factor for Periodontitis and Main Chronic Diseases

Nutrition is recognized as an essential component in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases, including periodontal disease. Based on these considerations, a better understanding is required regarding how the diet, and more particularly the intake of macronutrients and micronutrients, could impact the potential relationship between nutrition and periodontal diseases, periodontal diseases and chronic diseases, nutrition and chronic diseases. To overcome this complexity, an up-to-date literature review on the nutriments related to periodontal and chronic diseases was performed. High-sugar, high-saturated fat, low-polyols, low-fiber and low-polyunsaturated-fat intake causes an increased risk of periodontal diseases. This pattern of nutrients is classically found in the Western diet, which is considered as an ‘unhealthy’ diet that causes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers. Conversely, low-sugar, high-fiber and high-omega-6-to-omega-3 fatty acid ratio intake reduces the risk of periodontal diseases. The Mediterranean, DASH, vegetarian and Okinawa diets that correspond to these nutritional intakes are considered as ‘healthy’ diets, reducing this risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers. The role of micronutrients, such as vitamin D, E, K and magnesium, remains unclear, while others, such as vitamin A, B, C, calcium, zinc and polyphenols have been shown to prevent PDs. Some evidence suggests that probiotics and prebiotics could promote periodontal health. Periodontal and chronic diseases share, with a time delay, nutrition as a risk factor. Thus, any change in periodontal health should be considered as a warning signal to control the dietary quality of patients and thus reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases later on.

Nurses' educational needs in the oral health of inpatients at Yazd Province in Iran: a Delphi study

Background

Oral hygiene is an integral part of general health of a person. Nurses qualified about oral care can play an important role in improving the quality of oral health in hospitalized patients. This study investigated the educational needs of nurses in the field of oral health of hospitalized patients.

Methods

The study used the modified Delphi method in three rounds. Fifty faculty members of the School of Dentistry and Nursing were selected via purposive sampling. The data collection tool was a demographic form and an open-ended questionnaire in the first round and a structured questionnaire in the next rounds. The analysis was performed using both content and descriptive analysis techniques.

Results

The top ten oral health education priorities for nurses were greater than 75% with a consensus level: oral anatomy and physiology, learning the signs and symptoms of common oral diseases, learning of oral medications and administration, learning the drugs that cause damage to the mouth and teeth, training in managing dental emergencies, patient education for tooth brushing and taking care of the mouth, especially in the elderly patient, providing oral and dental care, training for unconscious and fasting patients, undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and hospitalization in intensive care unit.

Conclusion

The findings of the study emphasized the need for interdisciplinary cooperation between nursing and dental professionals for the development of an oral health curriculum for nurses to promote and improve oral health and prevent dental diseases in hospitalized patients and the community.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-020-00517-8.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Oral Health and Oral Care Among Nursing Staff at a Mental Health Hospital in Taif, Saudi Arabia: A Questionnaire-based Study

Background and Aim:

Nurses are the principal oral healthcare providers for hospitalized patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses at a mental health hospital in Saudi Arabia regarding oral health care of the hospitalized patients.

Materials and Methods:

A cross-sectional survey design was used in which 247 nursing staff completed a questionnaire that collected sociodemographic information, knowledge, and practices regarding oral health maintenance of patients and their attitudes toward oral health care of psychiatric patients. The chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used to examine group differences.

Results:

A total of 247 (136 males and 111 females) nursing staff were involved in the survey with the mean age of 26 ± 32 years. Results showed significant gender differences in knowledge and practices, but no gender differences in attitudes. Male nurses were more likely to look at teeth and gums for signs of a healthy mouth (male = 97.8%, female = 95.5%, P = .04), used toothpaste to clean the patient’s teeth (male = 52.9%, female = 50.5%, P = .03), and believed that HIV/AIDS patients are at risk of developing oral health problems (male = 50.7%, female = 43.2%, P = .04). Nurses had more knowledge than nurse technicians regarding gum disease and dental abscesses ( P = .0001). Nursing staff with over five years of experience were more likely to agree about the need for the oral health care of hospitalized patients.

Conclusion:

The results emphasize the need for training of healthcare workers about the importance of oral health and considering oral health care as a patient’s rights rather than privilege.

The Effect Of Social Media On The Choice Of Dental Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study In The City Of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In the past few years, social networking sites have received great attention in the health field by health practitioners and researchers, as well as health centers. The aim of this research is to investigate the important factors of patients (male or female) when choosing a dental practice, and the effectiveness of a social media presence for a dental practice to engage with and obtain new patients, as well as the return on investment of social media marketing.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

400 random sample patients in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia participated. The inclusion criteria were the following: patients above the age of 16 years, patients who have previously visited the dentist, patients who use social networking sites, patients who are fluent in Arabic or English, and patients residing in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was divided into four main sections and included questions revolving around the person's use of social networking sites and the factors influencing his/her decision to choose his/her dentist, especially those related to social networking sites.

RESULTS

The data collection entailed capturing 400 patients' responses; the majority of participants were between the age of 18 and 25 years old, and more than half of them were males (54.4%). The majority of patients had a social media account (95.3%), however, 4.7% of patients did not have a specific social media account, but they still used social media to get updated. We also found that the most popular platform to use for patients was Snapchat, at 75.1%, followed by Instagram, at 73.8%. Females tended to be more interested in having a social media platform to inform them about a dental practice and almost all factors.

CONCLUSION

The presence of the dentist in social networking sites and correct interaction with them is important to reach new patients and communicate with his/her former patients.