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Purpose: There is a need for research to facilitate the widespread implementation, dissemination and sustained utilization of evidence-based primary care screening, monitoring and care coordination guidelines, thereby increasing the impact of dental hygienists' actions on patients' oral and general health. The aims of this formative study are to explore dental hygienists' and dentists' perspectives regarding the integration of primary care activities into routine dental care, and assess the needs of dental hygienists and dentists regarding primary care coordination activities and use of information technology to obtain clinical information at chairside. Methods: This qualitative study recruited 10 dental hygienists and 6 dentists from 10 New York City area dental offices with diverse patient mixes and volumes. A New York University faculty dental hygienist conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews, which were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis consisted of multilevel coding based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, resulting in emergent themes with accompanying categories. Results: The dental hygienists and dentists interviewed as part of this study do not use evidence-based guidelines to screen their patients for primary care sensitive conditions. Overwhelmingly, dental providers believe that tobacco use and poor diet contribute to oral disease, and report using electronic devices at chairside to obtain web-based health information. Conclusion: Dental hygienists are well positioned to help facilitate greater integration of oral and general health care. Challenges include lack of evidence-based knowledge, coordination between dental hygienists and dentists, and systems-level support, with opportunities for improvement based upon a theory-driven framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate registered dental hygienists' attitude toward community service, sensitivity to patient needs, job satisfaction and their frequency to volunteer care for the underserved population. Methods: A 60 question survey instrument was developed and distributed to 306 participants. The survey instrument ad dressed the following variables: community service, sensitivity to patient needs, job satisfaction, social responsibility, spirituality and willingness to volunteer care. A total of 109 surveys were returned yielding a 33.9% response rate. SPSS version 19.0 was utilized for data analysis. Based on the factor analysis, the 6 original variables were reduced to 3 variables, which included attitude toward community service, job satisfaction and sensitivity to patient needs. Results: For registered dental hygienists their level of education, membership in their professional association, attitude toward community service and sensitivity to patients were associated with their frequency of volunteering care for the underserved population. Additionally, a discriminant analysis indicated a strong prediction among registered dental hygienists attitude toward community service and job satisfaction to their frequency of volunteering care for the underserved population. Conclusion: This research study of the factors that influence registered dental hygienists' frequency of volunteering care indicates how important oral health care preparatory norms and dispositions are to the underserved population. Understanding what persuades registered dental hygienists to volunteer care provides valuable information to registered dental hygienists, as well as dental hygiene programs regarding volunteering care for the underserved population and the importance of attitudes toward community service, sensitivity to patient needs and job satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, many risk assessment tools are available for clinicians to assess a patient's periodontal disease risk. Numerous studies demonstrate the potential of these tools to promote preventive management and reduce morbidity due to periodontal disease. Despite these promising results, solo and small group dental practices, where most people receive care, have not adopted risk assessment tools widely, primarily due to lack of studies in these settings. The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of dental providers in these settings toward risk-based care through focus groups. Methods: We conducted six focus group sessions with 52 dentists and dental hygienists practicing in solo and small group practices in Pittsburgh, PA and New York City (NYC), NY. An experienced moderator and a note-taker conducted the six sessions, each including 8–10 participants and lasting approximately 90 min. All sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers coded the focus group transcripts. Using a thematic analysis approach, they reviewed the coding results to identify important themes and selected representative excerpts that best described each theme. Results: Providers strongly believed identifying risk factors could predict periodontal disease and use this information to change their patients' behavior. A successful risk assessment tool could assist them in educating and changing their patient's behaviors to adopt a healthy lifestyle, thus enabling them to play a major role in their patients' overall health. However, to achieve this goal, it is essential to educate all dental providers and not just dentists on performing risk assessment and translating the results into actionable recommendations for patients. According to study participants, the research community has focused more on translating research findings into a risk assessment tool, and less on how clinicians would use these tools during patient encounters and if it affects a patients' risk or outcome. Conclusions: Dental practitioners were open to performing risk assessment as routine care and playing a bigger role in their patients' overall health. Recommendations to overcome major barriers included educating dental providers at all levels, conducting more research about their adoption and use in real-world settings and developing appropriate reimbursement models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]