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

Purpose Little is known about the retirement planning behaviors of dental hygienists. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological antecedents and other factors related to preretirement planning behaviors of dental hygienists.Methods An online, cross-sectional survey research study was conducted with a convenience sample of practicing dental hygienists (n=253) recruited via social media and professional networks. Data collection included work characteristics, retirement planning activities, and the validated Future Time Perspective (FTP), and Retirement Planning Goals Clarity (RPGC) instruments, along with two open-ended questions. Data analysis included descriptive measures, correlations, and regression modeling.Results The completion rate for the survey was 78.7% (n=199). The average anticipated age at retirement was 63.7 years old (SD=5.56). In the sample, fewer than half (45%) reported having an employer-sponsored benefit plan, 34% had a defined employee contribution plan, and 75% had contributed to retirement investments/savings in the past year. On a scale of 1-7, the mean FTP was 5.12 (SD 1.16) and mean RPGC was 5.01 (SD 1.51). In regression models, FTP (β=.54, p<.001) was a predictor of RPGC, however there were no other significant variables. The model was significant (F (6, 134)=12.9, p<.001) and explained 33.4% of the variance in retirement planning.Conclusion Higher FTP scores were positively associated with higher RPGC scores, however there were no other significant variables associated with preretirement planning. Addressing barriers to retirement planning while developing clear goals for financial stability is critical, particularly as the dental hygiene workforce ages.

Purpose Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds the potential for improving dental hygiene clinical practice as well as dental hygiene education. The purpose of this study was to identify educators' perspectives, attitudes, and concerns about the implementation of AI in dental hygiene education and students' preparedness for clinical practice.Methods This study used an exploratory qualitative design with a purposive sample of dental hygiene educators from the United States. Virtual interviews were conducted using an interview guide during the fall 2024 and spring 2025. Recorded interview sessions lasted an average of 45 minutes and were transcribed to an encrypted, password-protected account. Data were analyzed using qualitative research software. Responses were coded and categorized into emerging themes and sub themes. A pilot interview, member checks, and investigator triangulation were used to establish validity and reliability.Results Twenty-two dental hygiene educators from across the United Staes participated in the study. The themes identified were Informed, Misgivings, Resources, Academic Integrity, Implementation, and Professional Assimilation. Subthemes for Misgivings included Intellectual Deterioration and Neophobia while Subthemes for Academic Integrity were Misuse and Guidelines.Conclusion Formalized training and resources related to dental hygiene education and ethical guidelines are needed to implement AI in didactic and clinical instruction. Additional studies identifying dental hygiene students' preferences and understanding of AI and methods for implementing AI in clinical education to prepare students for practice are needed.

Purpose Social determinants of health (SDOH) significantly influence oral and systemic health outcomes yet are often unaddressed in dental hygiene clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of integrating SDOH screenings and referrals into a dental hygiene educational clinic and assess the impact on student learning.Methods This two-part, survey-based study included adult patients (n=208) receiving care at a dental hygiene clinic who had completed a validated SDOH needs assessment. Patients with identified needs were referred to community resources using findhelp.org and 211.org, with follow-up conducted via phone calls. A second survey captured reflections from student dental hygienists (n=15) on their experience with the screening and referral process.Results Findings showed that while most patients reported stable housing and food access, a modest number reported concerns related to personal safety, transportation, healthcare access, and emotional well-being. Only a small minority accessed resources post-referral, often due to barriers such as time constraints or that they were not given the website information. Student reflections indicated that the experience increased awareness of patient challenges beyond oral health and fostered empathy, although time limitations and patient discomfort were noted as barriers. Students expressed a variety of views on incorporating SDOH assessments into future practice.Conclusion This study demonstrated that SDOH screening and referral is feasible within dental hygiene education and can enhance student understanding of the broader context of patient care. Further research is needed to determine the experiences of patients and students in other dental hygiene entry-level programs. Future curriculum integration and expansion to additional programs may further support efforts to address health disparities beyond the educational setting to clinical dental hygiene practice.

Purpose Orofacial myofunctional disorders are disruptive patterns that can impact orofacial growth and development. The purpose of this study was to explore orofacial myology education, certification, and practice by dental hygienists (DH) as well as the advantages and barriers to the practice of orofacial myology for DHs.Methods A phenomenological heuristic qualitative approach was used for this study. Purposive sampling was used to solicit participants with experience in orofacial myology through the online membership lists of the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM), Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (AOMT), Breathe Institute and Neo-Health Services. Semi-structured, virtual interviews, personal experiences of the primary investigator, and historical documents were used for triangulation of the collected data to identify emerging themes.Results Data analysis resulted in five core themes and nine sub-themes. The core themes included: uniform credentialing, autonomous workforce models, identity distinctiveness, business management, and access to myofunctional care.Conclusion Cost and complexity were the largest barriers to the practice of myofunctional therapy, while autonomy and a wide array of work assignments were identified as advantages. While myofunctional therapy education and certification can be complex and costly, this specialty deserves further attention as part of the delivery of preventive and therapeutic oral and systemic health care.

Purpose Dental caries among young children remains a public health concern in the United States (US). Children of caregivers with low oral health literacy (OHL) tend to have greater unmet dental needs and poorer oral health status. The purpose of this study was to examine the understanding of pediatric dental terms associated with the dental caries process among low-income caregivers.Methods This study included 14 caregivers with children enrolled in a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in the Southeastern US. Through structured phone interviews, the validated Oral Health Literacy Inventory for Parents (OH-LIP) was used to measure term recognition, vocabulary knowledge and comprehension of eight terms related to the dental caries process (i.e., acid, hidden sugars, plaque). Two researchers completed the scoring of the inventory and were calibrated on an adapted scoring guide. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used for synthesizing responses on the OH-LIP inventory and a questionnaire, respectively.Results Term recognition (OH-LIP part I) scores were high with the majority of caregivers correctly pronouncing the 36 pediatric dental-related terms on the inventory. For the eight terms related to the dental caries process, vocabulary knowledge and comprehension (OH-LIP part II & III) scores were low to moderate, with 0 - 50% of participants providing a fully correct response. Furthermore, there was an observed decrease in scores for all eight terms related to the dental caries process from word recognition to comprehension.Conclusion This group of low-income caregivers had high word recognition scores for terms related to the dental caries process, indicating an initial high level of OHL. However, vocabulary knowledge and comprehension scores indicated minimal understanding of the same terms. These findings highlight the need for tailored oral health education and messaging that is easily understood for caregivers of young children.

Dental hygiene licensure with a clinical competency examination (CCE) using a live patient has been required by state licensing boards since 1929. Clinical competency examinations were initially used when dental training was poorly developed, non-standardized, and largely based on the apprenticeship model. Currently, Canada and the state of California have removed the requirement of passing a CCE for dental hygiene licensure, provided certain requirements have been met. Dentistry is the last health care profession to mandate that graduates pass a CCE. The vast majority of dental licensing boards continue to require that third party testing agencies validate the clinical skills of candidates that were acquired through accredited dental and dental hygiene education programs. Originally, there were 53 individual CCEs within the United States. As the profession became more uniform, regional examinations have replaced individual state examinations. Clinical competency examinations have come under scrutiny over the past few decades largely due to ethical concerns regarding human subjects and perceived limitations in manikin-based testing. Concerns about high stakes, single-encounter live patient exams and manikin exams have also been raised regarding their validity and reliability of measuring competency and readiness for clinical practice. In spite of the lack of peer-reviewed scientific evidence supporting the use of CCEs as reliable and valid instruments, dental boards continue to require them for initial licensure. While CCEs were initially developed to protect the public by ensuring the clinical competency of licensed clinicians, there is no predictive validity to support this intent. Ethical concerns regarding live patient, procedure-based dental and dental hygiene CCEs have been covered extensively in the literature. This short report will examine the ongoing concerns and updates on the use of CCEs for dental hygiene licensure.

Purpose Graduates of dental hygiene programs must acquire competence in critical reasoning by developing proficiency in self-assessment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of video-recorded testing compared to direct observation testing on student self-assessment scores, self-assessment accuracy and student retest scores, and to ascertain which modality was preferred by faculty and students.Methods A randomized crossover AB/BA research design evaluated video-recorded testing compared to traditional, direct observation testing. First year dental hygiene students (n=33) were randomly assigned to an AB or BA sequence for preclinical instrumentation skills testing and were evaluated by faculty (n=13). Student self-assessment test scores, faculty test scores, student accuracy scores, and student/faculty surveys were evaluated. Descriptive statistics and parametric independent samples t-tests (p<0.05) were used to analyze the data.Results Mean student self-assessment scores were slightly higher with video testing (93.64%) than with direct observation testing (91.98%). Retest scores were similar between the two testing modalities (video 90.74%; direct observation 93.86%). Mean student accuracy scores were nearly equal with the two modalities (video 93.24%; direct observation 93.1%). There were no statistically significant differences in student accuracy, retest, and self-assessment scores for instrumentation skills testing when comparing the modalities. A majority of students (80%) preferred video testing while all faculty members preferred the direct observation testing modality.Conclusion Students preferred video testing for self-assessment compared to direct observational testing, noting the increased ability to identify and correct mistakes. Faculty acknowledged video-recorded evaluation methods as advantageous in enhancing student self-assessment skills. However, faculty preferred direct observation testing, stating it allowed for a more thorough evaluation of skills. Additional research is needed using high-quality video equipment and longitudinal studies.

Purpose Bias and discrimination may create barriers and affect the delivery of culturally competent care to sexual minorities. An awareness of biases early in education may promote more equitable oral health care delivery to diverse populations. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of sexuality-implicit attitudes in entry-level dental hygiene students at one university.Methods This cross-sectional survey study included a convenience sample of dental hygiene students from one university (n=74). The Implicit Associations Test (IAT), a validated tool for measuring implicit bias, was modified for use in dentistry with permission from Project Implicit^® The IAT requires participants to rapidly pair two social groups, in this case, homosexual and heterosexual individuals, with either positive or negative attributes (words/concepts), using the "E" and "I" computer keyboard keys. Faster average response times to pairings indicates a preference for a group. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the means between groups and determine the prevalence of sexuality implicit biases. Independent samples t-test was utilized to examine differences in the level of implicit bias based on the year in the dental hygiene program (p<0.05). One-way between-subjects ANOVA was used to examine differences in age groups (p<0.05).Results Seventy dental hygiene students (n=70) completed the survey, (n=34 first year, n=36 second year). The average overall implicit score for first-year students was 0.001 (no sexuality preference), and 0.069 for second-year students (no sexuality preference). No statistically significant differences were found when comparing year in dental hygiene program and age groups.Conclusion Undergraduate dental hygiene students had no sexuality bias for straight or gay individuals.

Purpose Workplace bullying is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior that negatively impacts an employee's well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of workplace bullying (WPB) among dental hygienists (DHs) and mediation/moderation relationships between stress, social support, and turnover intention.Methods Cross-sectional survey research was used with a convenience sample of DHs providing direct patient care (n=378). The validated Negative Acts Questionnaire - Revised (NAQ-R), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Turnover Intention Scale (TIS) instruments were used for the 62 item electronic survey. Analysis included descriptive, correlation, and mediation/moderation statistics.Results Survey completion was 55% (n=209); 56% of respondents reported experiencing workplace bullying. Stress significantly mediated the relationship between both work-related bullying (WRB) and person-related bullying (PRB) with turnover intention. For WRB, significant paths included: WRB to stress (B=.52, p<.001), stress to turnover intention (B=.23, p<.001), and WRB directly to turnover intention (B=.58, p<.001), with an indirect effect of (B=-.265, p<.001). Similarly, for PRB: PRB to stress (B=.44, p<.001), stress to turnover intention (B=.29, p<.001), and PRB directly to turnover intention (B=.55, p<.001), with an indirect effect of (B=-.244, p<.001). Supportive relationships showed no moderating effect on the relationship between WPB and turnover intention.Conclusions Workplace bullying increased stress which also increased the intention to leave a job. Management staff in dental settings must work to prevent and manage WPB to reduce stress and retain DHs.