Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison In Pediatric Dental Website Design From A Guardian And Pediatric Dentists’ Perspective., David M. Voth

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This project aims to determine which aspects of pediatric dental practice websites are preferable to the guardians of pediatric dental patients and which of these aspects are currently available to guardians on the websites of pediatric dental practices across the United States. The comparison will reveal if practice websites are meeting the needs of the guardians of pediatric dental patients. Our hope is to provide meaningful guidance to pediatric dentists designing new practice websites and to provide the guardians of pediatric dental patients with an appealing online experience during their use of the aforementioned websites. Methods: A survey with …

Use Of Emoji In Pain Level Assessment In Pediatric Dental Patients, Manpreet K. Dhillon

Theses and Dissertations

USE OF EMOJI IN PAIN LEVEL ASSESSMENT IN PEDIATRIC DENTAL PATIENTS

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of a pain scale with Emoji images in comparison to the commonly used Wong-Baker FACES® pain scale. Methods: Healthy, English-speaking patients aged 4-17 presenting to the VCU Pediatric Dental clinic and the operating room and presenting to the MCV Pediatric Emergency Room were asked to rate their pain using the Wong-Baker FACES® and Emoji scales. These patients were then asked to select which pain scale they preferred. Results: A total of 151 children were enrolled in the study. …

A Comprehensive Summary Of Services And Resources Provided By Librarians In Support Of Coda Accredited Predoctoral (Dds/Dmd) Dental Education Programs In The United States And Canada, Irene M. Lubker, Elizabeth Stellrecht, Richard Mcgowan, Nena Schvaneveldt, Susan Arnold, Elisa Cortez, Rebecca Davis, Michael Kronenfield, Nicole Theis-Mahon

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Objective

The objective of this study is to provide a summary of library services and resources that support dental education and research. This summary will demonstrate trends in dental librarianship as well as services and resources that can be adopted to serve the needs of dental related education programs. To date, there has not been a comprehensive summary of these services.

Methods

An environmental scan was carried out to take inventory of services that dental librarians (1) provide. The study population consisted of librarians who work in dental libraries or college / university libraries that serve dental programs. The librarians …

Involvement Of Signal Peptidase I In Streptococcus Sanguinis Biofilm Formation, Jessica Aynapudi

Theses and Dissertations

Biofilm accounts for 65%-80% of microbial infections in humans. Considerable evidence links biofilm formation to oral disease and consequently systemic infections. Eradication of biofilm-associated infections is important. Streptococcus sanguinis, a Gram-positive bacterium, is one of the most abundant species in oral biofilm. It contributes to biofilm development in oral cavities and is one of the recognized causes of infective endocarditis. To study and identify biofilm genes in S. sanguinis, biofilm formation of 51 mutants was compared with the wild type SK36 strain using crystal violet (CV) staining in a microtiter plate. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and image analysis was …

The Reporting Of Supplement Use By Dental Patients On Their Medical History Questionnaire, Sarmad Bakuri

Theses and Dissertations

The Reporting of Supplement Use by Dental Patients on Their Medical History Questionnaire Objectives: The goals of the study were three fold. Estimate the prevalence of supplement use by dental patients. Determine if the design of a medical history form influences the prevalence of supplement use reported. Determine whether or not patients are aware of supplement side effects and interactions with medications. Methods: Patients were randomly allocated to either a standard medical history form or the same form with additional questions about supplement use. After completing the initial forms, a survey containing questions about supplements was filled out by both …

The Impact Of Medicaid Reform On Dental Practice Setting, Barrett W. R. Peters

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To assess the impact of dental Medicaid reform in Virginia on dental practice settings (private practice, corporate practice and safety net clinics). Methods: This retrospective cohort study of 16.2 million dental claims is from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, which included claims for providers participating in Virginia’s Medicaid program during a 10-year period (2002-2012). The dividing date for the reform was July 1, 2005. The outcome measure was mean claims per participating provider. A Poisson regression model was used to predict the mean number of claims per provider with the following predictors: reform period, practice setting, provider …

Dental Plan Performance With Medicaid Reform In Virginia, James Reed

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To assess the effect of dental Medicaid reforms in the state of Virginia on dental plan performance. Methods: This project is a retrospective cohort study of 825,000 dental claims obtained from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services. This cohort includes dental claims for children enrolled in Virginia’s Medicaid program from July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2008. The independent variable was enrollment pre or post policy reform with July 1, 2005 as the period dividing date. The dependent variable was dental benefit utilization measured as the average number of restorative, preventative, and total procedures. Statistical methods include Welch’s …

Effect Of Medicaid/Schip And Wic On Oral Health Of Low-Income Children, Dahlia Naqib

Theses and Dissertations

Oral caries is the most prevalent chronic disease among US children, and disproportionately impacts those of low socioeconomic status. Studies have shown that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) improves access to dental care among Medicaid children. This study investigated the impact of WIC, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on the prevalence of dental caries among low-income children. The 1999-2000 and 2001-2002 NHANES data were utilized for this analysis. Children 2-4 years old who participated in WIC, Medicaid, or SCHIP, or who were uninsured, and for whom both interview and complete …