Journal of dental hygiene : JDH / American Dental Hygienists'' Association最新文献

The concepts of reliability and validity are explored in this short report. The importance of assuring that data collection tools are both reliable and valid are explored for use in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method study designs. Quantitative and qualitative attributes for achieving reliability and validity are provided. Discussion of when information collected and presented is not reliable and valid impacts the body of scientific knowledge and researcher credibility.

Purpose Access to dental care has been an ongoing issue in the United States (US), impacting the individuals who directly experience the consequences of limited access to dental services. This study explores the relationship between residence in dental health professional shortage areas (DHPSA) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among dental patients.Methods Subjects were recruited from the patient population of the University of Minnesota's prosthodontic clinic. Data were collected from 129 volunteers who completed surveys assessing oral health-related quality of life using the 5-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) in which higher scores indicate lower impact. The participants' residence in a DHPSA was determined, and demographic factors including age, gender, ethnicity, race, insurance type, education level, and number of teeth were also examined. Descriptive statistics and bivariable analyses were conducted to assess associations between variables.Results No significant association was found between residence in shortage areas and oral health-related quality of life. Participants residing in geographic (p=0.38) and population shortage areas (p=0.32) did not exhibit significantly different mean oral health impact profile summary scores compared to those in non-shortage areas. However, there was a significant difference in mean summary scores based on the number of teeth (p=0.00), with participants having 0-19 teeth reporting a higher mean score (mean=6.6, SD=5.2) compared to those with 20-32 teeth (mean=3.3, SD=3.5). While certain demographic factors showed trends, such as Hispanic or Latino participants reporting higher oral health impact scores, and those with higher education levels reporting lower health impact scores, no statistically significant differences were found.Conclusion Participants reported similar oral health impacts whether or not they lived in an area with a dental health professional shortage. This highlights the importance of considering multiple factors when understanding the impacts on oral health-related quality of life.

Purpose Students can play an influential role in the assessment process of dental hygiene programs; however, little is known about how students contribute to program improvements. The purpose of this study was to explore the correlations between dental hygiene students' participation in program assessments and program improvements.Methods The adapted National Institute Learning Outcomes Assessment questionnaire survey was distributed via email to 325 dental hygiene program administrators in the United States identified from the Commission on Dental Accreditation database. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the professional characteristics of the respondents. Spearman's rank-order correlation was used to analyze the responses from the closed-ended ranked questionnaire. Responses to open-ended questions were reviewed for common themes.Results Fifty-five eligible program administrators completed the online questionnaire. Correlations were found between students' participation in assessment methods and contribution to program improvements in areas of the self-study process, program learning goals, curriculum, instruction, and overall program performance. The strongest correlations were evident between student participation in the capstone course and revising program curriculum (rs=.444, p=.001), revising program learning goals (rs=.468, p<.001), and improving instruction (rs=.481, p<.001). Open-ended responses revealed changes made in the program curriculum, teaching practice, academic policy, and assessment practice.Conclusion Results from this study showed dental hygiene program administrators felt that students who participate or are represented in assessments made contributions to program improvement. Administrators should consider student participation in the dental hygiene program planning and assessment processes.

Purpose The posterior superior alveolar (PSA) block injection is one of many techniques used to provide profound anesthesia for invasive dental procedures. This technique has a high success rate but is not without complication risks. The purpose of this study was to determine if pulpal anesthesia of the maxillary second molar could be achieved using a reduced needle depth of 10mm or 5mm compared to the traditional needle depth of 16mm.Methods Sixty participants were asked to participate in three sessions. Each session started with a pre neural response test, followed by one randomized needle depth PSA injection, and ending with a post neural response test. The neural response test consisted of two parts, a cold refrigerant and a dental probe, on the buccal and interproximal surface of the maxillary second molar. After receiving a positive neural response, each participant received a posterior superior alveolar block injection using a short (21mm), 27-gauge dental needle with a randomized needle penetration depth of 16mm, 10mm, or 5mm. A post neural response test consisting of the same two parts as the pre-test was conducted on the maxillary second molar to evaluate for profound anesthesia.Results Positive neural responses were obtained from 100% of the participants (n=167) during the pre-tests. Study results demonstrated an 85% success rate at the traditional 16mm needle depth and a 93% and 92% success rates for the reduced needle depths of 10mm and 5mm, respectively. Pulpal anesthesia of the maxillary second molar had been achieved at all three needle depths with no statistically significant difference in the rate of success. Furthermore, there were no adverse events observed.Conclusion The reduced needle depth technique showed promise in achieving desired results of pulpal anesthesia with a reduced risk for complications associated with the PSA block injection. Additional studies are recommended to achieve evidence-based support for this reduced needle depth technique.

In the dental hygiene discipline, evidence-based practice serves as a cornerstone for delivering high quality patient care and moving professional standards forward. As practitioners delve deeper into research to inform clinical decision making, the integration of robust survey methodologies becomes imperative. However, the complexities of survey design, implementation, and analysis pose notable challenges, particularly in ensuring the reliability and validity of research outcomes. This short report provides brief practical guidance about the basics of survey research methodologies for dental hygiene professionals.

Descriptive statistics (DS) play a crucial role in establishing a solid foundation for study analysis and are important for understanding the results of a study or data set. If the data from DS is used incorrectly, the study may be misinterpreted. Descriptive statistics summarizes and organizes data, making analysis easier and providing an overview of the characteristics of sampled data. This analysis is comprised of measures of central tendency, which includes the mean, median, and mode of a particular data set. Understanding how to use each metric is essential for basic statistical analysis. The purpose of this short report is to review descriptive statistics and describe how to best utilize them during data analysis. The authors aim to provide this short report as an educational resource to assist the dental hygiene research community in understanding statistical analysis through descriptive statistics.

Purpose Low-income children experience disproportionately high rates of dental caries and challenges in accessing dental care compared to their higher-income peers. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the prevalence of dental caries and dental service utilization among Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) enrolled children.Methods The literature search and review were conducted between September 2023 and February 2024. The review followed the PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines and included three databases: PubMed, CINAHL, and Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source. The study focused on children aged one to five participating in WIC within the United States (US) and aimed to determine the prevalence of dental service utilization and dental caries in the targeted population.Results This review includes twelve articles that are quantitative observational studies conducted from February 2001 to February 2023. Most of the studies were conducted in WIC programs in the Southern and Midwest regions of the US. Dental caries rates decreased by 61.8% from 2004 to 2016, with the highest prevalence in 2004, and the lowest prevalence in 2016. Dental service utilization among WIC children increased by 56.9% from 1992 to 2020.Conclusion There has been an increase in dental service utilization among WIC-enrolled children, with an overall decrease in dental caries over the last two decades. However, the prevalence of dental caries remains disproportionately high for children enrolled in WIC when compared to non-participants. To develop effective dental interventions for children enrolled in WIC, it is fundamental to identify the unique determinants of dental caries in this population.

Purpose Dental professionals are exposed to hazardous noise levels on a daily basis in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to compare the hearing status of dental hygienists who utilize ultrasonic scalers in the workplace compared to age-matched control participants (non-dental hygienists) who were not exposed to ultrasonic noise.Methods A convenience sample of nineteen dental hygienists (experimental) and nineteen non-dental hygienists (control) was recruited for this study. A matched pairs design was utilized; participants in each group were matched based on age and gender to eliminate confounding variables. The testing procedure consisted of an audiologist performing a series of auditory tests including otoacoustic emissions test, pure-tone audiometry, and tympanometry on the experimental and control groups.Results In the right ear, there were notable differences from 1000 Hz - 10,000 Hz and in the left ear from 6000 Hz - 10,000 Hz, with higher hearing thresholds in the experimental group of dental hygienists. While 56% of the univariate tests conducted on how many days were worked per week showed statistical significance, the regression line slope indicated those that worked more days had better hearing statuses. The variables for years in practice for dental hygienists, how many of those years were full-time employment, and how many years the dental hygienist had used an ultrasonic scaling device, also had many significant univariate tests for the experimental group only. These variables were more likely to serve as proxies representing true noise exposure. The paired t-test between the groups demonstrated statistically significant differences between the experimental and control group at 9000 Hz in both ears.Conclusion While results from this study demonstrated various qualitative differences in hearing status of the control group (non-dental hygienists) and experimental group (dental hygienists), age was found to be the most critical variable. Furthermore, this data demonstrated differences in hearing status based on various frequencies between dental hygienists and age-matched controls that should be further explored with a larger population.