Factors associated with dental interns and professors perception of the management of disabled patients: A cross-sectional study under multivariable analysis.

Background: Patients with disabilities experience oral health inequalities, including increased disease prevalence and unmet healthcare needs. The aim of this study was to assess factors associated to the perceived management of patients with physical disabilities among dental interns and professors at a university located in the capital city and a branch in a province in Peru. Methods: This cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study included 100 dental interns and 75 Peruvian dental professors and was conducted from January to April 2022. A validated perception scale was used to evaluate the management of disabled patients. For the statistical analysis, the study employed Pearson's chi-square test and Fisher's exact test, along with a Poisson regression model that used robust variance. The adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) was utilized to evaluate perception while taking into account factors such as gender, age, marital status, origin, professional experience, previous treatment of a patient with physical disability, and previous cohabitation with a disabled patient. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: The 86 % of dental interns and 88 % of dental professors had a poor perception of managing disabled patients, with no significant association between them (p = 0.698). Male and female dental interns displayed significant differences in perception (p = 0.004), while no other variables showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Conversely, dental professors displayed significant differences in all variables analyzed (p < 0.05). In dental interns, gender was found to be the only influential variable, with females having a 41 % higher likelihood of perceiving disabled patient management poorly compared to males (APR = 1.41; 95 % CI: 1.04-1.91) (p = 0.028). However, gender was not found to be a significant factor for dental professors (p = 0.449). Conclusion: The majority of dental interns and professors had a poor perception of managing disabled patients, with no significant differences observed between them. Moreover, gender significantly influenced the perception of managing patients with physical disabilities among dental interns specifically. On the other hand, neither age, marital status, origin, professional experience, previous treatment of a patient with physical disability, nor previous cohabitation with a disabled patient were found to be associated factors among dental interns and professors.

Sociodemographic factors associated with knowledge and attitudes of Peruvian dental interns about dental shade selection.

BACKGROUND: The dentist should have a thorough knowledge of the science, protocols and procedures for dental shade selection in order to mimic dental tissue with restorative materials, respecting the individual needs and attitudes of each patient and providing them with a pleasant and esthetically acceptable appearance. The present study evaluated the knowledge and attitudes of dental interns from two Peruvian universities about dental shade selection and its relationship with sociodemographic factors. METHODS: The present cross-sectional and analytical study was carried out on Peruvian dental interns from the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal and the Universidad Privada de San Juan Bautista during May to June 2022. Two validated questionnaires on knowledge and attitudes about dental shade selection were used. A Poisson regression model with robust variance using the adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) was used to assess the influence of the variables: age group, sex, place of origin and type of university, considering a significance level of p<0.05. RESULTS: The results showed that 40.8% (95% CI: 34.0% - 47.6%) of the interns presented unfavorable attitudes while 90.1% (95% CI: 86.0% - 94.2%) presented insufficient knowledge. It was also found that dental interns under 29 years of age were 32% less likely to have unfavorable attitudes (APR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.48 - 0.96) and 11% more likely to have insufficient knowledge (APR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.01 - 1.24) about tooth shade selection compared to dental interns aged 29 years and older. Finally, women were 55% more likely to have unfavorable attitudes about tooth shade selection compared to men (APR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.08 - 2.22). CONCLUSION: The majority of dental interns presented insufficient knowledge and less than half had unfavorable attitudes about dental shade selection. In addition, being a student under 29 years of age was a risk factor for presenting insufficient knowledge and at the same time constituted a protective factor for presenting unfavorable attitudes. Likewise, being a female student was a risk factor for presenting unfavorable attitudes about dental shade selection.

Impact of a virtual educational intervention on knowledge and awareness of biomedical waste management among Peruvian dental professionals.

Waste from healthcare is a significant global issue, with around 85% of it being common waste and the remaining 15% being hazardous waste that is infectious and toxic. Dentistry uses various materials that create a substantial amount of biomedical waste capable of impacting the environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a virtual educational program on the knowledge and awareness of dental material recycling and reuse, as well as biomedical waste management, among dental professionals in Peru. The current study was a longitudinal and quasi-experimental evaluation of 165 dentists from Peru. A validated questionnaire consisting of 30 items was administered at three different intervals (pre-test, immediate post-test, and 14-day post-test). Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis H tests to compare scores between categories of each sociodemographic variable, and the Cochrane's Q and Friedman test was used for related measures comparison. A significance level of p < 0.05 was considered. When comparing the percentage of correct responses regarding recycling and reuse of dental materials and biomedical waste management between the pre-test and the immediate post-test, a significant improvement in knowledge was observed for most of the questionnaire items (p < 0.05). At 14 days after the test, those who studied at a private university, unmarried, bachelors, non-specialists, non-teachers and have less than 10 years of professional experience did not did not retain knowledge on biomedical waste management (p < 0.05) or recycling and reusing dental materials (p < 0.05) to a significant extent. There was a significant enhancement in dentists' knowledge and awareness of managing biomedical waste, recycling, and reusing dental materials following the educational intervention. This improvement was observed across all sociodemographic variables considered in the study. However, this knowledge was not retained beyond two weeks for those who studied at a private university, unmarried, bachelor, with no specialty, non-teachers and with less than 10 years of professional experience. Government authorities should encourage oral health professionals to conduct research with educational interventions focused on improving and evaluating the sustainability and environmental impact of dental practices. This will enable professionals to better understand, control and evaluate the consequences of their practical work.