Recently, there has been increased attention to including cultural diversity in the education of health professionals, including concern for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) inclusion and visibility. Studies regarding cultural exposure and acceptance of LGBT populations have been concentrated in medicine, with findings showing that medical providers often graduate having missed the preparation required to care for LGBT persons. A visible, comprehensive, culturally competent environment in dental schools would help ensure that all oral health professionals and students are aware of services available to address the particular needs of LGBT students. The aims of this survey-based study conducted in 2015-16 were to determine dental students' perceptions regarding LGBT students' needs and to assess dental students' knowledge of resources for LGBT persons at three U.S. dental schools, one each in the Midwest, West, and South. Of the 849 students invited to participate, 364 completed the survey (338 dental, 26 dental hygiene), for an overall response rate of 43%. The response rate at individual schools ranged from 30% to 55%. The results showed perceptions of insufficient LGBT information, resources, and support at these institutions, especially at the Western school. There were significant differences among the three schools, with students at the Western school more than the other two schools perceiving that their institution was less aware of whether it met the academic, social support, and spiritual needs of LGBT students. There were no significant differences between LGBT and non-LGBT students' perceptions. The authors urge dental school administrators to explore the degree to which their programs teach respectful and caring behavior towards LGBT students and, by extension, LGBT patient populations.

The aim of this study was to design and test a pressure ulcer severity score based on assessment by experienced clinicians. Fifty pressure ulcers were each evaluated independently by seven experienced clinicians, using a scale that ranged from 0 (mildest damage) to 10 (most severe). Ulcer characteristics were analysed to determine which factors related to the assessments. A second set of 50 ulcers was used to test the validity of the resulting scoring system. Inter- and intra-observer reliability were tested in a further 10 pressure ulcers. A multivariate linear model was produced, based on the following three variables: colour (CO-matched-matched) in the wound base; depth (DE)?of the ulcer; and mean diameter (D)?of the wound (‘CODED’). The coefficients for each variable were rounded to yield points in an additive equation, the CODED score. This score had a high correlation (r = 0.92, P<0.001) with the second set of evaluations, used to test the score performance. The CODED score is a simple and valid tool to quantify the progress of a pressure ulcer. It has a high correlation with the severity assessment of experienced clinicians and is reliable when used by non-experienced observers.

Children with intellectual and physical disabilities including autism are susceptible to dental trauma as a sequela from falls due to poor muscular coordination. In addition, their altered muscle tonus often results in an open bite with labial flaring of the maxillary incisors and lip incompetence, predisposing these teeth to fractures. This case report describes an alternative approach of restoring a fractured maxillary permanent central incisor with a composite strip crown during surgical repositioning of the periodontium on an autistic patient. The prognosis of the incisor is guarded due to the probability of re-injury. However, the decision to maintain the tooth clinically was esthetically preferable in comparison to an extraction or decoronation.

The aim of this replication study was to determine if prior findings at one U.S. dental school about dental students' comfort discussing and perceptions of the relevance of 15 risk behaviors to adolescent patient oral health care would be observed at other institutions. All first‐ and fourth‐year dental students (n=414) at three U.S. dental schools in fall 2017 were invited to participate, and 218 completed the survey (52.7% response rate). These students reported feeling comfortable to uncomfortable discussing risk behaviors with adolescent patients, yet perceived those risk behaviors as relevant to their oral health. There were significant differences in student comfort discussing risk behaviors with adolescents and their perceptions of relevance by gender, age, class status, and school location. Males were more comfortable than females discussing oral health risk behaviors. There were no significant differences by race/ethnicity. Fourth‐year students had higher levels of comfort discussing risk behaviors than first‐year students. Compared to students in the South and Midwest schools, students at the West school were more comfortable discussing selected topics and had higher perceptions of their relevance to adolescent oral health care. These results suggest there is room for improvement in this area of dental education. Dental schools should aim to strengthen students' knowledge of and comfort in discussing oral health risk behaviors with adolescent patients with the use of educational activities and clinical experiences.

Adolescents' engagement in risk-taking behaviors is well documented. However, the role of the dental practitioner in helping teenage patients understand and avert those behaviors is relatively unknown. The aim of this pilot study was to assess dental students' familiarity with adolescent risk behaviors, comfort level in discussing adolescent risk behaviors with teenage patients, and ratings of the relevance of these topics in dental education. Of the 373 University of Florida dental students across all four years who were invited to participate in 2017, 151 (40.5%) completed the survey. Among these respondents, 66% were female, 53% were from an underrepresented minority (URM) group, 40% were above the age of 25, 53% were in their preclinical years of education, and 47% were in their clinical years. In the results, the males had higher levels of comfort discussing adolescent risk behavior topics than the females, and the non-URM students had higher levels of comfort than the URM students. The clinical students showed statistically significant higher levels of comfort and ratings of the relevance of adolescent risk behaviors than the preclinical students. This pilot study assessed these students' comfort in discussing adolescent risk behaviors with patients and their level of agreement about the relevance of those topics in dental education across groups (age, gender, minority status, and educational level). Future studies are needed to examine pre- and posttest changes following interventions aimed at enhancing students' knowledge and comfort in discussing adolescent risk behaviors.