Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Obesity And Periodontal Disease, Jean Conover

Dental Hygiene Master's Papers and Projects

Obesity has been targeted as the sixth most significant risk factor worldwide that is known to contribute to both oral and other associated systemic diseases.² According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of obesity among adults in the U.S. is 40% and 18.5% in youth with prevalence higher among middle aged adults (42.8%) than younger adults (35.7%).³ As of 2016, nearly two billion people worldwide were either overweight or obese.¹ Research indicates accumulated excessive fat from being overweight or obese contributes to serious health impairments.⁴ World-wide obesity is associated with increased …

Effects Of Carboxylated Nanodiamonds On Macrophages During And After Differentiation, Maisoun E. Bani Hani

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Nanodiamonds (ND) are a carbon-based nanomaterial that are increasingly being proposed for developing novel imaging techniques, as carriers of biomolecules and therapeutic drugs, as coatings for implants, and for other biomedical applications. The exceptional chemical, mechanical, and optical properties of ND make this material suitable in a wide range of fields. The application of ND in the biomedical field is attractive but requires more in-depth investigation into the safety of ND and its interactions with different cells and systems. The effects of ND on the immune system are not fully understood or investigated and there are several controverting reports regarding …

Development And Validation Of A Hybrid Virtual/Physical Nuss Procedure Surgical Trainer, Mohammad F. Obeid

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

With continuous advancements and adoption of minimally invasive surgery, proficiency with nontrivial surgical skills involved is becoming a greater concern. Consequently, the use of surgical simulation has been increasingly embraced by many for training and skill transfer purposes. Some systems utilize haptic feedback within a high-fidelity anatomically-correct virtual environment whereas others use manikins, synthetic components, or box trainers to mimic primary components of a corresponding procedure.

Surgical simulation development for some minimally invasive procedures is still, however, suboptimal or otherwise embryonic. This is true for the Nuss procedure, which is a minimally invasive surgery for correcting pectus excavatum (PE) – …

The Effect Of Magnification Loupes On Dental Hygienists' Posture While Exploring, Emily Ludwig, Gayle B. Mccombs, Susan L. Tolle, Daniel M. Russell

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of dental magnification loupes on posture during instrumentation.

Methods: A convenience sample of 27 right-handed dental hygienists, with no prior history of injuries or disabilities of the head, neck, or trunk region, enrolled in the study. Baseline posture calibration was taken and tri-axial accelerometers were placed on four locations of the head and trunk (occipital region of head; cervical vertebrae C5; thoracic vertebrae T5; lumbar vertebrae L1) to measure acceleration and the orientation of the body to gravity. Participants were randomly assigned to wear self-supplied magnification loupes during either …

Initial Construct Validity Evidence Of A Virtual Human Application For Competency Assessment In Breaking Bad News To A Cancer Patient, Timothy C. Guettermann, Frederick W. Kron, Toby C. Campbell, Mark W. Scerbo, Amy B. Zelenski, James F. Cleary, Michael D. Fetters

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Despite interest in using virtual humans (VHs) for assessing health care communication, evidence of validity is limited. We evaluated the validity of a VH application, MPathic-VR, for assessing performance-based competence in breaking bad news (BBN) to a VH patient.

Methods: We used a two-group quasi-experimental design, with residents participating in a 3-hour seminar on BBN. Group A (n=15) completed the VH simulation before and after the seminar, and Group B (n=12) completed the VH simulation only after the BBN seminar to avoid the possibility that testing alone affected performance. Pre-and postseminar differences for Group A were analyzed with a …

Dental Hygienists' Perspectives On Four Periodontal Instrument Handle Designs, Susan L. Tolle, Jessica Suedbeck, Gayle M. Mccombs, Martha L. Walker

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Problem: Developing new instrument designs to address the ergonomics of instrumentation and to decrease repetitive strain injuries in the dental hygienist is an ongoing area of development. Changing the weight and diameter of instrument handles has been suggested to reduce risk for trauma in the practitioner but minimal research has been conducted to determine design preferences of practicing dental hygienists. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess dental hygienists opinions on the weight, diameter, balance and maneuverability of four different instrument handles. Methodology: After IRB approval, a convenience sample of 27 practicing dental hygienists from Virginia participated in …

Effects Of Peer Support Group On Rates Of Suicide Attempts, Suicidal Thoughts, And Incidences Of Self-Harm For Sexual-Minority High School Students, Samantha Fleming, Rebecca O'Neill, Allyson Jett, Haley Mann, Ashlee Peters, Deja Dixon

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

The torment sexual minority youth experience can take a psychological toll without access to a support system. The purpose of this proposal is to determine whether an after-school peer support group for sexual minority youth could decrease incidences of suicidal thoughts, attempts, and/or self-inflicted injuries.

Introduction: Nursing Research Project Posters, Jamela Martin, Janice Evans Hawkins

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Nursing 363, Principles of Practice: Research as Foundation for Practice, is a required course in the undergraduate nursing curriculum at Old Dominion University. This course, offered every spring, focuses on the theories and concepts utilized in the scientific investigation of nursing practice. Students are introduced to scientific inquiry in nursing which forms the basis for nursing practice and theory. To meet course requirements, student groups create professional scientific research posters of their research proposal projects. What follows is a compilation of their research posters which were presented at the College of Health Sciences Interprofessional Poster Presentation day in the spring …

Nutritional Status Of Food Insecure Older Adults, Chelsie Walker, Lindsey Asbury, Javier Way, Brent Johnson, Alex Biddle, Courtney Wagner

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Approximately 9.8 million seniors across America were at risk of going hungry in 2015. The percentage of seniors who faced the threat of hunger was equivalent to the percentage of seniors compared with the whole population of the United States. The prevalence rate of hypertension, which contributes to heart attacks and strokes, is over 50%, and the prevalence rate of diabetes is over 25% in seniors. Both heart disease and diabetes are among the top 10 leading causes of death in America with heart disease being number one. Appropriate dieting is recommended as a way to prevent and treat both …

Testing A Novel 3d Printed Radiographic Imaging Device For Use In Forensic Odontology, Tara L. Newcomb, Ann M. Bruhn, Bridget Giles, Hector M. Garcia, M. Arch, Norou Diawara

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

There are specific challenges related to forensic dental radiology and difficulties in aligning X-ray equipment to teeth of interest. Researchers used 3D printing to create a new device, the combined holding and aiming device (CHAD), to address the positioning limitations of current dental X-ray devices. Participants (N = 24) used the CHAD, soft dental wax, and a modified external aiming device (MEAD) to determine device preference, radiographer's efficiency, and technique errors. Each participant exposed six X-rays per device for a total of 432 X-rays scored. A significant difference was found at the 0.05 level between the three devices ( …

Telehealth And Ehealth In Nurse Practitioner Training: Current Perspectives, Carolyn M. Rutledge, Karen Kott, Rebecca Poston, Christianne Fowler, Tina S. Haney

Nursing Faculty Publications

Telehealth is becoming a vital process for providing access to cost-effective quality care to patients at a distance. As such, it is important for nurse practitioners, often the primary providers for rural and disadvantaged populations, to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to utilize telehealth technologies in practice. In reviewing the literature, very little information was found on programs that addressed nurse practitioner training in telehealth. This article provides an overview of both the topics and the techniques that have been utilized for training nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students in the delivery of care utilizing telehealth. Specifically, this …

Effects Of Instrument Handle Design On Dental Hygienists' Forearm Muscle Activity During Scaling, Jessica R. Suedbeck, Susan L. Tolle, Gayle Mccombs, Martha L. Walker, Daniel M. Russell

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 4 different commercially available instrument handle designs (A. 16 grams and 12.7 mm diameter, B. 23 grams and 11.1 mm diameter, C. 21 grams and 7.9 mm diameter and D. 18 grams and 6.35 mm diameter) on the muscle activity of four forearm muscles during a simulated scaling experience.

Methods: A convenience sample of 27 (n=27) dental hygienists used a Columbia 13/14 curet with four different instrument handles to scale artificial calculus from typodont teeth. Each participant's muscle activity was measured using surface electromyography (sEMG).

Results: Similar muscle …

A Study Of Visible Tattoos In Entry -Level Dental Hygiene Education Programs, Kathryn R. Search, Susan L. Tolle, Gayle Mccombs, Aaron Arndt

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey entry-level dental hygiene program directors in the United States (US) to assess their perceptions of dental hygienists with visible tattoos as well as to determine current policies related to dress codes in US dental hygiene programs.

Methods: Data was collected with an online survey emailed to 340 dental hygiene program directors from March to April 2016, yielding a 43% (n = 141) response rate. Participants indicated their opinions of visible tattoos on the basis of professionalism and school policy requirements.

Results: Eighty percent of respondents reported their program …