Dentistry Commons^™

Improving Dental Students' Knowledge And Confidence In Treating Tobacco Use, Victoria Pierce

DNP Projects

Background: Tobacco use can lead to numerous chronic health conditions. Healthcare professionals in the dental field are in a unique position to broach this issue with patients. Research shows that dental students do not feel equipped to provide tobacco cessation care, citing lack of education on the subject among their top reasons for this.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to evaluate changes in dental students’ knowledge and confidence related to treating tobacco use after participation in an educational intervention about the 5A’s, behavioral counseling, and first-line prescription medications.

Methods: This quality improvement initiative utilized a quasi-experimental survey design …

Dental Outreach In Academic Dental Settings, Tisha Clayborn

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Creating an effective outreach program in a dental academic setting involves a strategic approach combining educational objectives and community service. This Dental Outreach Program Guide aligns with organizational objectives, contributes to community well-being, and serves as a model for future outreach initiatives in academic dental settings. This program utilizes the PRECEDE-PROCEED planning model to design and evaluate an oral health strategy. This program aims to outline a strategic plan incorporating evidence-based decision-making, data-driven metrics, and a comprehensive roadmap for successful implementation.

Dental Students' Skills Assessments: Comparisons Of Daily Clinical Grades And Clinical And Laboratory Assessments, Elizangela Bertoli, Kristy Pepper Lawson, Susan S. Bishop

Oral Health Practice Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to compare the daily clinical grades of third-year dental students during routine clinical activities involving direct and indirect operative procedures to clinical and laboratory assessments. The authors compared students’ daily clinical grades to graded clinical assessments and compared daily clinical grades to laboratory assessments at one U.S. dental school. A total of 50 third-year students (participation rate: 98%) participated in this study during the school year of 2014–15. The study analyzed the students’ daily clinical grades and graded assessments during regular clinical activities and two laboratory examinations. The results found no statistically significant differences …

Cross-Talk Between Clinical And Host-Response Parameters Of Periodontitis In Smokers, Radha Nagarajan, Craig S. Miller, Dolph R. Dawson Iii, Mohanad Al-Sabbagh, Jeffrey L. Ebersole

Institute for Biomedical Informatics Faculty Publications

Background and Objective

Periodontal diseases are a major public health concern leading to tooth loss and have also been shown to be associated with several chronic systemic diseases. Smoking is a major risk factor for the development of numerous systemic diseases, as well as periodontitis. While it is clear that smokers have a significantly enhanced risk for developing periodontitis leading to tooth loss, the population varies regarding susceptibility to disease associated with smoking. This investigation focused on identifying differences in four broad sets of variables, consisting of: (i) host‐response molecules; (ii) periodontal clinical parameters; (iii) antibody responses to periodontal pathogens …

Clinical Performance Measures And Quality Improvement System Considerations For Dental Education, Joseph W. Parkinson, Gregory G. Zeller

Oral Health Practice Faculty Publications

Quality improvement and quality assurance programs are an integral part of providing excellence in health care delivery. The Dental Quality Alliance and the Commission on Dental Accreditation recognize this and have created standards and recommendations to advise health care providers and health care delivery systems, including dental schools, on measuring the quality of the care delivered to patients. Overall health care expenditures have increased, and the Affordable Care Act has made health care, including dentistry, available to more people in the United States. These increases in cost and in the number of patients accessing care contribute to a heightened interest …

Dental Service Utilization In An Academic Setting: An Analysis For Improved Oral Health, Paula R. Sandford

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The National Oral Health Surveillance System (NOHSS) is the result of a collaborative effort between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors which is designed to monitor aspects of oral health and disease on both a national and state level. The NOHSS ranks Kentucky at or near the bottom in most oral health indicators. The primary message of the Surgeon General’s May 2000 report on Oral Health in America was to emphasize the link between oral health and overall health including the effect on day‐to‐day activities such as work and school …

Ethics, Empathy, And The Education Of Dentists, David A. Nash

Oral Health Science Faculty Publications

Professional education in dentistry exists to educate good dentists-dentists equipped and committed to helping society gain the benefits of oral health. In achieving this intention, dental educators acknowledge that student dentists must acquire the complex knowledge base and the sophisticated perceptual-motor skills of dentistry. The graduation of knowledgeable and skilled clinicians in dentistry is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for ensuring quality oral health care. The further requirement is the commitment of graduates to applying their abilities with moral integrity: providing appropriate and quality care in their patients' best interest. Ultimately, good dentistry depends on individuals committed to treating …