Dental Public Health and Education Commons^™

Investigation Of Whether Determining A Patients Personality Results In Better Patient Communication And Oral Health, Cynthia E. Chavez

Dental Hygiene ETDs

One of the dental psychosomatic territories is the link between personality traits and oral health treatment. This present study aims at investigating whether determination of patient personality types leads to enhanced communication between dental hygienists and patients resulting in improved oral health. Some hypothesize that determining patient personality traits results in enhanced communication between the patient and the dental hygienist. Similarly, it is hypothesized that determination of a patient’s personality trait can result in better oral health.

Impact Of Interviews On Heterosexual Students' Expressions Of Cultural Competency, Carol Isaac, Linda Behar-Horenstein

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the effects of a cultural competency intervention on dental pre-doctoral students’ attitudes toward individuals of a different sexual orientation. 22 heterosexual students interviewed gay or lesbian individuals and wrote reflective text. Results illustrated that participants found that their interviewees had “surprisingly similar” beliefs and values – especially in the areas of religion and family. Because of their “similar values,” these students expressed respect toward their interviewees who were “so different” than themselves. This conclusion of “sameness” forced them to see homosexuals as people, rather than a stigmatized invisible outgroup, mitigating sexual …

Client Satisfaction Survey For Hiv/Aids Dental Care Services: An Example From Rural Texas, H. Stephen Cooper Ph.D., Lcsw, Freddie L. Avant Ph.D., Lmsw-Ap, Acsw, C-Ssws, Kim L. Rich-Rice Ph.D., Lmsw-Ipr

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

The challenges to examining client satisfaction are demonstrated through an evaluation of dental services provided by a regional service provider to people living with HIV/AIDS. The process of developing and administering a measure of client satisfaction is discussed. Forty-one of 350 (11.7%) dental clients chose to participate. Quantitative and qualitative data suggests that overall participants are satisfied with services. Identified concerns included a lack of specialized dental, medical, mental health, and case management services. Implications of the study for service delivery, future evaluations, and rural social work practice are addressed.

Aboriginal Health Worker Perceptions Of Oral Health: A Qualitative Study In Perth, Western Australia, Angela Durey, Dan Mcaullay, Barry Gibson, Linda Slack-Smith

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Improving oral health for Aboriginal Australians has been slow. Despite dental disease being largely preventable, Aboriginal Australians have worse periodontal disease, more decayed teeth and untreated dental caries than other Australians. Reasons for this are complex and risk factors include broader social and historic determinants such as marginalisation and discrimination that impact on Aboriginal people making optimum choices about oral health. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study conducted in the Perth metropolitan area investigating Aboriginal Health Workers’ (AHWs) perceptions of barriers and enablers to oral health for Aboriginal people.

Methods:

Following extensive consultation with Aboriginal stakeholders, …

Animal Assisted Therapy In A Special Needs Dental Practice: An Interprofessional Model For Anxiety Reduction, Caren M. Cajares, Carolyn M. Rutledge, Tina S. Haney

Nursing Faculty Publications

Purpose: Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) suffer from poor oral hygiene and periodontal disease that may predispose them to systemic diseases. In order to receive dental care, the assistance of a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) is often needed. The role of the CRNA is to provide sedation to reduce the high level of anxiety demonstrated by many individuals with intellectual disabilities in the dental suite. However, this can become a challenge with patients that are anxious when they arrive. The purpose of this paper is to describe an interprofessional dental team that added a certified therapy dog …