Information-seeking strategies of dental hygienists.

As health care practitioners, dental hygienists need information-gathering skills and the confidence to both perform literature searches in Internet databases and assess the results in order to utilize the wealth of scientific literature that supports evidence-based practice. The aim of this study was to assess the information-seeking strategies of dental hygienists. A self-administered electronic survey of thirty-eight questions was sent to 5,007 licensed dental hygienists in District III of the American Dental Hygienists' Association. The overall response rate was 7.9 percent (396/5,007). Most (90.9 percent) of the respondents were currently practicing dental hygiene, with 62.9 percent having practiced more than ten years. Approximately 56 percent had graduated from a two-year dental hygiene program and had graduated before 1998. Nearly all of the respondents who graduated in 1999 or after were confident using a computer (96.2 percent) and the Internet (95.4 percent); lower percentages of the pre-1999 graduates expressed such confidence (68.6 percent using a computer and 80.7 percent using the Internet). Most respondents (90.9 percent) who graduated in 1999 or after reported receiving evidence-based decision making (EBDM) training in their dental hygiene program- an increase over the 51.8 percent of pre-1999 graduates who reported having received it-though lower percentages (78.2 and 48.0 percent, respectively) reported thinking their EBDM training was adequate. Though the response rate was low, these results may suggest that information-gathering skills are being more effectively addressed in recent dental hygiene education than previously. Continuing education courses that teach hands-on navigation of databases and methods to search the scientific literature and analytically appraise it could increase both the skills and comfort level of dental hygienists, especially those who graduated more than a decade ago.

Patterns of safer sex practices among allied health students at historically black colleges and universities.

With high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and STD transmission rates among African American young adults, there is a need to study the patterns of risk behaviors among this group for effective HIV prevention strategies. Many studies point to the problem of what is termed the knowledge-behavior gap, as a contributing factor for high transmission rates. In this phenomenon, the risks for HIV transmission are known, yet this knowledge does not translate into safer sex practices. It is unclear if this phenomenon applies to all young adults. This study examined sexual behaviors, risks for HIV infection, condom use, and HIV testing practices among allied health students. A sample of 614 respondents voluntarily completed questionnaires. The respondents were from seven historically black colleges and universities and four predominantly African American physician assistant programs. The significant findings reflect that this sample of mature and informed allied health students engaged in safer sex practices. There was a higher rate of condom use among African Americans compared with other racial and ethnic groups and significant differences for gender, race, and antibody testing. The outcomes of the study have implications for using allied health students as role models in designing effective prevention programs on college campuses and in African American communities to address knowledge-behavior gap issues.

Oral health status of Asian and Hispanic women. A pilot study.

Data on the oral health of Asian and Hispanic women are rare in the dental literature. The objective of this study was to investigate the oral health status and needs of women from these two groups. Forty newly registered women from each group were the subjects of the study. Standard forms were used to collect sociodemographic information, medical histories, oral health status, oral hygiene practices and smoking habits. The oral examination recorded the DMFT and periodontal condition. Data were analyzed using SPSS Univariate General Linear Model, odds ratios and relative risks. Chi-Square tests were within the 95% confidence interval, and with @ = .05. The results showed that there was no statistical difference in age, education, oral health care, smoking habits, annual dental visits or DMFT between the two groups.