Interprofessional and intraprofessional learning opportunities in health professions education are vital to emphasize evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and cost-effectiveness in patients' oral health care. The aim of this study was to assess dental, dental hygiene, and dental assisting students' readiness for intraprofessional education and to evaluate their attitudes towards and perceptions of intraprofessional teamwork, communication, respect, and understanding of professional roles. In 2013, students at one dental school (N=247) were surveyed, and focus groups were conducted for this convergent parallel mixed-methods study. Survey response rates were as follows: senior dental students 54.4% (N=43), senior dental hygiene students 100% (N=32), dental assisting students 95% (N=19), junior dental students 51.8% (N=42), and junior dental hygiene students 100% (N=33). The results showed that the dental hygiene students had more positive responses about intraprofessional education than the dental and dental assisting students (p<0.05). Most (94%, N=160) of the respondents in the combined groups agreed that intraprofessional learning would help them become more effective members of the oral health care team. The three focus group sessions (N=17) revealed consistency among the groups regarding the value of an integrated clinical design and intraprofessional education. These students were eager and positive about intraprofessional learning and agreed that a shared learning model can improve communication and respect among team members, provide a better understanding of roles, and ultimately enhance patient care.

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Nearly, half of dental patients who screen high-risk for OSA may be responsive to a recommendation to seek physician evaluation.

PurposeResidents function as important educators of dental students; however, they often have limited training in educational best‐practices. Resident‐as‐teacher programs have been designed and implemented in other health professions to prepare residents to teach in clinic and classroom settings. In this research, we describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a 2‐day workshop for first‐year advanced dental residents.MethodsThe program engaged residents in techniques to: (1) foster psychological safety, (2) use the cognitive apprenticeship framework, (3) deliver quality feedback, and (4) conduct effective didactic instruction. Nineteen first‐year residents attended 2 four‐hour workshops in July 2019. The impact of the program was evaluated using Kirkpatrick's model, which included participant reactions, learning, and self‐reported behaviors.ResultsMost residents (at least 83.3%) reported the value and quality of the workshop was high or very high. With regard to knowledge, residents had statistically significant higher scores after the workshop on knowledge questions about cognitive apprenticeship (P < 0.01), feedback strategies (P < 0.05), and classroom instruction techniques (P < 0.05). Resident reported self‐efficacy had a statistically significantly increase (P < 0.05) after the workshop in psychological safety, cognitive apprenticeship, and most items related to providing feedback; there were few changes in self‐efficacy on classroom instruction strategies.ConclusionOverall, a workshop to prepare residents as teachers can improve knowledge and self‐efficacy in evidence‐based educational practices.

Objectives This mixed‐methods study assessed patients' oral health literacy, motivation level and barriers regarding interdental plaque control. Methods Participants (n = 49) from a study comparing the use of Glide® Pro‐Health Floss Original (F) or GUM® Curved Soft‐Picks® Advance (SP) completed daily diaries and questionnaires regarding motivation, tiredness, confidence and satisfaction for their deplaquing method. The Mantel‐Haenszel chi‐square test was utilized. Data were also collected from 19 participants who attended focus group discussions regarding their oral health habits, knowledge, motivators and barriers with interdental plaque control. Discussions were digitally recorded, transcribed and imported into ATLAS.ti 7.5.15 to identify themes. Results There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in relation to age, sex or ethnicity. F users reported statistically significant higher agreement about ability to remove food/debris (P = 0.01), cleaning thoroughly (P = 0.02) and clean feeling of the mouth (P = 0.01). SP users reported higher ease/efficiency of use (P = 0.01), convenience (P = 0.003), easy to hold (P = 0.0001) and easy use away from home (P = 0.008). Daily diaries revealed higher motivation and compliance/ease of use (SP). During the focus groups, some reported that they did not feel clean unless they deplaqued interdentally; however, most reported that they lacked motivation due to constraints on time, no desire due to lack of immediate or tangible rewards, and lack of knowledge on proper use of interdental devices or the benefits of using them. Conclusion This study showed that the lack of compliance may be due to poor literacy and lack of motivation in patients due to gaps in patient education.