Dental hygiene student perceptions of a school-based sealant program: A qualitative review.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this 2021 study was to explore experiences acquired from a school-based sealant program (SBSP), to improve understanding of the relationship between SBSP and dental hygiene (DH) student outcomes, and to inform institutions of the value of educational experiences aiming to reduce disparities in access to dental care. METHODS: University of Missouri Kansas City School of Dentistry Senior DH students complete a community engaged course which includes participation in community projects and clinical activities targeting Kansas City's urban and surrounding rural environments. The SBSP is a component of this course. This investigation utilized a qualitative methodology to examine SBSP experiences through the experience of the primary investigator, on-site dentist, and DH students involved in the program. RESULTS: Data analysis resulted in consensus of five synthesized conceptual models and twenty-three emergent themes. The conceptual models include: competence, roles and responsibilities, social justice, value added, and lessons learned. CONCLUSION: Based on triangulated results, SBSPs improve access to care for children, save dental costs, and provide essential experiences for DH students.

Blood Pressure Recording Practices Among Dental Hygiene Students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare three different types of blood pressure (BP) recording devices (an automated arm cuff, an automated wrist cuff, and a manual cuff / stethoscope combination) for accuracy, patient comfort, and ease of operation.Methods: Three types of sphygmomanometers were tested on 150 study participants (n=150) obtained from the patients presenting for dental hygiene services at an urban dental school in the Midwest. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables of interest by cuff type. Repeated measures ANOVA using the Greenhouse-Geisser adjustment were used to test for differences in means in BP and rating measure by cuff type. Post-hoc comparisons using Tukey's procedure were calculated to determine pair-wise differences. An association between the cuff type and convenience rating was evaluated using the Chi-square test, and between cuff type and convenience rating using the Fisher's exact test.Results: There was a significant difference in systolic BP recording by cuff type (p<0.001). The automatic wrist cuff recorded an average of 11.30mm and 8.76mm HG higher systolic BP than the standard cuff and the automatic arm cuff respectively (p<0.001 for both). There was no significant difference in the systolic BP readings between the standard and automatic arm cuff (p=0.226) nor was there a significant difference in diastolic BP by cuff type (p=0.137).Conclusion: Blood pressure cuff readings with traditional sphygmomanometer and stethoscope or an automated brachial cuff are comparable while wrist cuff BP readings deviated significantly. For consistency in blood pressure readings, the three different cuff types are not interchangeable.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Periodontitis in United States Non-Smokers, 2009 to 2012.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies using half-mouth designs for assessment of periodontal disease prevalence have reported that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure of non-smokers is associated with a two- to three-fold increase in the odds of developing periodontitis. In response to the possibility of under-reporting of periodontitis, the Centers for Disease Control updated periodontal examination procedures in 2009 for the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES), including full-mouth, six-site periodontal probing, and attachment loss assessment. Aims of this study are to estimate prevalence of periodontitis among United States non-smoking adults exposed to ETS, report the values of the improved methods for estimating disease prevalence, and evaluate the predictive contribution of ETS exposure to periodontitis. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using NHANES data from the 2009 to 2012 examination cycle. To address these aims, oral examination data were used to determine prevalence of periodontitis among United States non-smoking adults and to test the influence of ETS exposure on occurrence of periodontitis. RESULTS: There was a 28% increase in the odds of periodontitis for those with any ETS exposure compared with those with no measurable exposure (Wald χ2 test statistic [df] = 6.58 [1], P = 0.01; 95% confidence interval = 1.06 to 1.55). CONCLUSION: ETS exposure increases the risk of an individual developing periodontitis.

Environmental tobacco smoke and periodontitis in U.S. non-smokers.

PURPOSE: The association of second hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and periodontitis in non-smokers has not been confirmed using a biomarker of ETS exposure. To estimate periodontitis prevalence in non-smokers with detectable serum cotinine, and to investigate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic variation in ETS exposure in a representative sample of the U. S. adult population. Determining periodontitis risk indicators occurring with ETS appears to be a salient purpose as this study is the first of its kind to provide a link (a salivary biomarker) between second hand smoke and risk for periodontitis. METHODS: Data were collected from the 1999 to 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Subjects were 3,137 adults who had smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes and had not used other forms of tobacco. ETS exposure was classified as negligible (cotinine concentrations below sex and race/ethnicity cut-points for smokers), moderate (cotinine 0.5-<1.5 µg/mL) or high (cotinine ≥ 1.5 ng/mL). Periodontitis was classified according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) case definition for moderate-severe disease. Survey estimation procedures were used to estimate prevalence and odds ratios (OR) were from multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: ETS exposure was observed in 40.5% of subjects and 2.6% had periodontitis. ETS exposure was inversely associated with educational attainment and family income and was higher in non-Hispanic blacks than whites. After adjusting for age, sex and year of survey, adults with high ETS exposure (cotinine ≥ 1.5 ng/mL) had more than twice the odds of periodontitis as people with negligible exposure (OR=2.3, 95% confidence interval=1.3, 4.1). CONCLUSION: High ETS exposure was a risk indicator for periodontitis in lifetime non-smokers.