Effect of dental hygienists' self-efficacy on intention to provide dental care to autistic individuals.

AIMS: The study aimed to investigate the influence of dental hygiene providers' self-efficacy and the factors affecting self-efficacy on their intent to provide care for autistic individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a nonprobability sample of dental hygienists (n = 1075), yielding a completion rate of 70.6%. The survey included validated measures to assess participants' demographics, autism training and experience, autism knowledge, self-efficacy, environmental factors, and intention to treat the autistic population. Participants' self-efficacy scores (r = 0.416; p < .001) and support from dental offices (r = [0.174; 0.465]; p < .001) had the greatest influence on intent. Clinicians who had more experience treating (r = 0.280; p = .005) and received more hours of training/education on treating autistic patients (r = 0.344; p < .001) showed a stronger inclination to provide care to this population. Notably, autism knowledge had a weaker impact on intent when compared to self-efficacy and training/education. CONCLUSION: Autism-focused education and training have a positive effect on provider self-efficacy when caring for autistic individuals. Increased emphasis on such interventions is necessary at all levels of dental hygiene education. The findings from this study can help overcome barriers to preventive dental care for the autistic community.

Factors Affecting Part-Time Dental Hygiene Faculty Members' Intent to Stay in Education.

The need for more dental hygiene educators has led to the increased practice of hiring part-time faculty members; however, there is little literature on their job satisfaction or intent to stay in education. The aim of this study was to explore demographic and job satisfaction variables that may predict part-time dental hygiene faculty members' intent to stay in education within the framework of Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. A cross-sectional, correlational survey was conducted with a national convenience sample of part-time dental hygiene faculty members (n = 177). The survey was a combination of two validated survey instruments (modified Nurse Educators' Intent to Stay in Academe Scale and modified Adjunct Faculty Survey). The completion rate was 87%. Overall, the study found a significantly positive correlation between job satisfaction and intent to stay (ρ[177] = 0.48; p<0.001). Other significant findings were that both average annual salary (p = 0.005) and being approached as an undergraduate (p = 0.004) had an effect on intent to stay. Personal growth (p<0.001), the job satisfaction subscale (p<0.001), and work preference (p = 0.03) had the most predictive influence on intent to stay. Job satisfaction was a strong predictor of intent to stay, which is consistent with Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. Addressing the needs of part-time dental hygiene faculty members by increasing job satisfaction variables may aid in the recruitment and retention of these educators.

What are the effects of photographic self-assessment on students' risk for musculoskeletal disorders using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment.

PURPOSES/OBJECTIVES: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) affect the careers of dental professionals. Research suggests symptoms of MSD begin during educational careers. This sequential explanatory study aimed to determine if dental hygiene students' self-assessment using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) tool reduced the risk of MSD development and explore students' experiences using a risk tool. METHODS: Dental hygiene students (n = 21) in the last 2 of 4 sequential clinical semesters completed self-assessment using the RULA, employing photographs taken during patient care. Initial photographs were taken before students participated in a workshop about ergonomics and application of the RULA tool. Using a within-subjects repeated measures design, student risk scores were calculated for pre- and post-workshop photographs over 4 consecutive weeks. Students (n = 10) participated in a focus group to share their experiences with the risk tool. RESULTS: Repeated measures one-way analysis of variance compared differences in student RULA scores between weeks. There was a statistically significant effect of time on student self-reported RULA scores, F(3, 60) = 7.04, P < .001. Emergent themes from the focus group were practice using RULA, video versus photographs, adjust tool for dental hygiene practice, increased self-awareness, and connect theory to practice. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggested using self-assessment utilizing a risk tool increased self-awareness for ergonomics, thus reducing the risk of developing MSDs for dental hygiene students.

Assessment of Students' Sense of Community in Distance Education Classrooms of U.S. Dental Hygiene Programs.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between distance education (DE) and students' sense of classroom community (SCC) in U.S. dental hygiene programs. The concept of SCC is recognized to have an influence on students' educational outcomes. With the goal of increasing diversity among future dental professionals, there comes a need to accommodate students of various backgrounds through the use of DE. The impact of DE on students' SCC has not been studied in previous research. This 2014 cross-sectional survey study looked at a convenience sample of dental hygiene students finishing their first or second clinical year to assess their SCC. Participating programs had both host and satellite campuses and utilized DE for didactic course delivery at the remote sites. To calculate the students' sense of community, Rovai's Classroom Community Scale (CCS) was utilized, and demographic information was collected. Six of the 13 eligible programs agreed to participate; the overall response rate for individual students was 25%. When evaluated on their sense of community, the satellite college-based students scored 26.47 CCS units and 14.51 learning subscale units lower than the host college-based students. These results suggested a negative association between the students' sense of community and their affiliation with satellite campuses when controlled for demographic variables. The findings suggest a negative trend in the SCC for dental hygiene students on remote campuses and utilizing DE for a portion of their curriculum. This trend can potentially decrease students' educational success and satisfaction and should be addressed.