Advancing the voice of women through doctoral education: Proposed models for dental hygienists and dental therapists.

The increase in scientific knowledge, oral healthcare, new dental hygiene workforce models, and the latest clinical skills, have elevated the need for doctoral prepared dental hygienists and dental therapists. These oral care providers need to be empowered with advanced preparation in education, research, and leadership. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present two curricular models for a doctorate of philosophy and a doctorate of oral health practice recognizing that students may have different goals and interests in educational pursuits. The doctoral program models support the conduct of research and scholarship, which supports the research infrastructure of the profession and emphasizes the dissemination of scholarly works. Creation of doctoral programs for dental hygienists and dental therapists provides opportunities to broaden choices and strive for autonomy throughout their careers. These programs may support the development of additional scholars and advanced practitioners who can contribute to the scientific body of knowledge and create policies and pathways to improve population oral health.

Pro-CAD: una alternativa para profesionalizar al personal auxiliar del odontólogo / Pro-CAD: a professionalizing alternative for the dentist's auxiliary staff

El presente artículo es el resultado de una investigación orientada a la implantación de un modelo educativo, que sustenta una propuesta para la capacitación de recursos humanos de apoyo técnico en el campo de la salud. Para este propósito se denominaron: Asistentes Dentales a quienes son el personal auxiliar que se desempeña con profesionales que ejercen la odontología en forma privada en México, y que no cuentan con escuelas para su formación, considerando sus diferencias individuales e involucrando las áreas cognoscitiva (conocimientos), psicomotriz (habilidades y destrezas) y afectiva (comportamientos). Los recursos humanos compiten fuertemente por encontrar un espacio de desempeño en un mercado altamente exigente, razón por la cual el eje principal de la investigación se fundamentó en el planteamiento del Consejo Normalizador y Certificador de Competencias Laborales (CONOCER). El modelo fue diseñado durante la formación doctoral, enmarcado en la línea de innovación curricular para la calidad total como consecuencia del interés personal por evaluar las competencias del personal auxiliar que se desempeña apoyando al gremio de la odontología; la población está organizada en un colegio local de profesionales filial a la Asociación Dental Mexicana. Se utilizó el método mixto, y la herramienta para recolección de datos fue la encuesta, misma que aportó información relevante para construir una propuesta denominada modelo Pro-CAD (Programa de Capacitación Asistente Dental), que se incluye brevemente al final de este artículo (AU)

This article is the result of research aimed at the implementation of an educational model, which supports a proposal for the training of human resources of technical support in the field of health. For this purpose they were called: Dental Assistants, who are the auxiliary staff who work with professionals who practice dentistry privately in México, and who do not have schools for their training considering their individual differences and involving the cognitive areas (knowledge), psychomotor (skills and skills), affective (behaviors). Human resources compete strongly to find a performance space in a highly demanding market, which is why the main focus of the research was based on the approach of the Standardizing Council and Labour Skills Certificater (CONOCER). The model was designed during my doctoral training framed in the line of curriculum innovation for total quality as a result of the personal interest in evaluating the work skills of the auxiliary staff who perform supporting the dental guild, the population is organized in a local college of professionals affiliated with the Mexican Dental Association. The mixed method was used, and the data collection tool was the survey, which provided relevant information to build a proposal called the Pro-CAD (Dental Assistant Training Program) model that is briefly included at the end of this article (AU)

An analysis of YouTube videos as educational resources for dental practitioners to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported on 31 December 2019 and has rapidly been spreading day by day. Dental patients and professionals have a high risk of the coronavirus infection and also have a huge responsibility to prevent its spread during emergency dental treatment over the period of the COVID-19 outbreak. AIM: Informing patients and dental practitioners about the novel coronavirus in an accurate and effective way is very important. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of dentistry-related medical information about COVID-19 on YouTube as educational resources for dental practitioners. METHODS: YouTube was queried for the search phrases 'COVID-19 and dental practice', 'SARS-Cov-2 and dental practice' and '2019-COV-2 and dental practice'. The first 100 videos for each term were viewed and analysed by 3 independent investigators. The scope was limited to videos in English. RESULTS: The search phrases yielded 1102 videos, among which 802 videos were excluded and 300 videos screened. Fifty-five videos were included in the final analysis. Of the 55 videos, only 2 videos (3.6%) were found to be of good quality, while 24 videos (43.6%) were found to be of poor quality. CONCLUSION: YouTube is a popular video broadcast site and can provide both relevant educational information and the spreading of misinformation. Health professionals should play a more active role with regard to educative information given on social media, especially YouTube, during global disease outbreaks.

Formative evaluation of a teledentistry training programme for oral health professionals.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to conduct a formative evaluation of a teledentistry (TD) programme that was developed for a predominantly rural state in the Midwestern United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Formative evaluation data were collected on programme activities from the TD programme records. In addition, the effectiveness of the TD training programme was evaluated using a self-administered paper-based survey administered to the participants, immediately following completion of the training activity. Ninety-three dental students, oral health and other health professionals participated in the TD training programme. RESULTS: Overall, the trainees rated the TD training programme highly, with regard to the content, format and skills improvement. The evaluation also demonstrated a positive change in all trainees' attitudes following the training sessions, with most trainees acknowledging a positive impact of the training on their knowledge and competency. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: We identified challenges in the development of the TD programme and in expanding access to oral health care for rural communities. Challenges included reimbursement and a limited interest amongst established dental offices. Dental schools can play an important role in preparing both dental health professionals and other health professionals in the use of TD by providing training and oral health expertise. The use of TD by non-dental providers for consultation, referral and disease management has the potential to improve oral health outcomes, particularly for rural and underserved populations. Evaluation data provide critical feedback to programme planners and administrators.

Perception of Special Needs Dentistry education and practice amongst Australian dental auxiliary students.

INTRODUCTION: The role of dental auxiliaries in collaborative care of patients with special needs is compelling. This study was undertaken to investigate the perceptions of Special Needs Dentistry (SND) education and practice amongst students enrolled in Australian programmes in dental auxiliary, namely dental hygiene, dental therapy and oral health therapy (DH/DT/OHT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All Australian institutions offering DH/DT/OHT programmes (n = 14) were invited to participate in a self-administered questionnaire survey, conducted online, involving students across all academic years. Twelve institutions agreed to participate, but only five institutions were included in the final analysis, with a student response rate of 31.1%. Answers to open-ended questions were coded and grouped for measurement of frequencies. Quantitative data were analysed via chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests (significance taken as P < .05). RESULTS: The majority of students could not define SND (87.0%) were not aware of the existence of this specialty (53.5%) and did not have clinical experience treating patients with special needs (68.9%). Nevertheless, they felt comfortable and positive about treating these patients independently. Most agreed that they should receive clinical and didactic education in SND, with many of them expressing interest in pursuing a specialty training in this field. CONCLUSION: DH/DT/OHT students' comfort levels, positive attitudes and supportiveness for SND suggested positive implications for these practitioners to partake in multidisciplinary management of patients with special needs, thus indicating the need for standardised training requirements and practice guidelines in this area of care.

How do educators in one New Zealand undergraduate Bachelor of Oral Health course teach and nurture professionalism?

INTRODUCTION: Research on integrated dental hygiene and dental therapy courses is scarce; studies reporting on how staff in these combined scope courses teach professionalism are even more scarce. This study aimed to partially fill these research gaps. METHOD AND MATERIALS: In 2016, online surveys were sent to 34 staff members who taught into the integrated Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) course at the University of Otago's Faculty of Dentistry; 13 were returned. Two focus groups were conducted with six BOH educators. RESULTS: Aspects of professionalism were taught and nurtured in the formal curriculum, the clinic and the informal curriculum. In the formal curriculum, policies outlining the professional standards of behaviour expected of oral health practitioners and students in New Zealand and the Faculty were discussed. In the clinic, educators taught professionalism through modelling clinical skills, assessing students' performance and commenting on their reflective logbooks. In the informal curriculum, BOH teachers nurtured professionalism through discussions about standards of behaviour outside of the university. Role modelling was the most common method that participants reported they taught or nurtured professionalism in their students. DISCUSSION: Professionalism is a complex concept that is taught and nurtured in a number of ways over all aspects of the course. CONCLUSION: Oral Health educators need to maintain a high standard of professionalism when interacting with students and patients, as well as in public spaces, in order to model professionalism to their students.

Predictors of academic performance in the discipline specific bioscience paper: A retrospective quantitative study [corrected].

INTRODUCTION: The cohort of students enrolled in the discipline-specific bioscience paper reflects a structural diversity in that it includes students of multiple ethnicities, varied age groups, differing scholastic and life experiences. These divergent identities of students are known to influence academic performance. The purpose of this retrospective quantitative study was to determine the ability of a set of variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, level of prior education, the place from which prior education was obtained, work experience and prior academic achievement to predict academic performance in the discipline-specific bioscience paper. METHOD: The sample for this study was a purposive sample of all oral health students who had enrolled in the paper at the Auckland University of Technology from 2011 to 2014. The desensitised empirical data of 116 students from the University's database were subject to multivariable regression analysis. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated. RESULTS: Prior academic achievement was a statistically significant predictor variable (P < 0.001) for the academic performance in the discipline-specific bioscience paper and was also positively correlated (r = 0.641, P < 0.001) to the grades in the discipline-specific bioscience paper. CONCLUSION: Prior academic achievement was the only variable that was demonstrated to be correlated to and predictive of the academic performance in the discipline-specific bioscience paper.

Indian Country Leads National Movement to Knock Down Barriers to Oral Health Equity.

Tribal and other underserved communities are struggling under the weight of devastating oral health disparities. Tribes as sovereign nations are searching for innovative solutions to address their unique barriers to oral health care. Dental therapists are primary oral health providers who work as part of the dental team to provide a limited scope of services to patients. They were first brought to tribal communities by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Despite strong opposition from the American Dental Association aimed at protecting its monopoly on oral health care, dental therapists are sweeping the nation. Evidence shows that they are effective and provide high-quality care, particularly in underserved communities. A community's ability to develop public health policy solutions tailored to its needs and priorities is essential in eliminating health disparities and achieving health equity. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is leading the way to more effective and efficient dental teams and working hard to lay the groundwork for the elimination of oral health disparities.

A Workforce Strategy for Reducing Oral Health Disparities: Dental Therapists.

This article seeks to chronicle how dental therapists are being used to bolster the supply of providers for the underserved and explore their potential to diversify the field of dentistry and improve public health. Of the factors that contribute to persistent oral health disparities in the United States, an insufficient oral health workforce figures prominently. A growing number of states are authorizing a midlevel dental provider (often called a dental therapist) to address this problem. Dental therapists work under the supervision of dentists to deliver routine preventive and restorative care, including preparing and filling cavities and performing extractions. They can serve all populations in 3 states, are caring for Native Americans in an additional 3 states under federal or state authority, and are being considered in about a dozen state houses.

Enhanced skills in periodontology: evaluation of a pilot scheme for general dental practitioners and dental care professionals in London.

Background The need for periodontal management is great and increasing; thus, the oral and dental workforce should be suitably equipped to deliver contemporary care. Health Education London developed a training scheme to extend the skills of dentists and dental care professionals (DCPs).Aim To examine the feasibility of assessing a skill-mix initiative established to enhance skills in clinical periodontology involving the views of patients, clinicians and key stakeholders, together with clinical and patient outcomes in London.Methods This mixed methods feasibility and pilot study involved four parallel elements: a postal questionnaire survey of patients; analysis of clinical logbooks; self-completion questionnaire survey of clinicians; and semi-structured interviews of key stakeholders, including clinicians.Results Twelve of the 19 clinicians participated in the evaluation, returning completed questionnaires (63%) and providing access to log diaries and patients. Periodontal data from 42 log-diary cases (1,103 teeth) revealed significant improvement in clinical outcomes (P = 0.001 for all). Eighty-four percent (N = 99) of the 142 patients returning a questionnaire reported improved dental health; however, responses from hospital patients greatly exceeded those from dental practice. Interviews (N = 22) provided evidence that the programme contributed to professional healthcare across four key domains: 'service', 'quality care', 'professional' and 'educational'. Clinicians, while supportive of the concept, raised concerns regarding the mismatch of their expectations and its educational and service outcomes.Discussion The findings suggest that it is feasible to deliver and evaluate inter-professional extended skills training for dentists and dental care professionals, and this may be evaluated using mixed methods to examine outcomes including clinical log diaries, patient questionnaires and stakeholder interviews. This inter-professional course represents a positive development for patient care using the expertise of different members of the dental team; however, its formal integration to the health and educational sectors require further consideration.

The Francis Report--Implications for the Education and Training of Dental Professionals.

This paper explores the implications of the Francis Report for education of the dental team. It considers selection of candidates for training, issues relating to the curriculum itself, including assessment and the importance of listening to trainees. The overriding importance of the 'informal' or 'hidden' curriculum, through which students and trainees observe their teachers and develop a sense of the professional and ethical culture within an educational institution, is stressed. Clinical relevance: Sound education, rooted in the recognized ethical principles highlighted in the Francis Report, is essential to the delivery of a dental work force that will deliver care according to the fundamental standards laid down by the GDC.