Assessing attitudes in dental education: Is it worthwhile?

Brown, George; Manogue, Michael; Rohlin, Madeleine

doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.4801665

Cited by 58 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Dental healthcare personnel can facilitate improvement in oral health due to their awareness and caring behaviour towards patients’ oral healthcare habits [17–19]. To achieve improved oral health in society, dental healthcare personnel are required to have abundant knowledge and a positive attitude, not only towards treatment, but also towards preventive oral healthcare [20–22]. A number of studies have assessed the knowledge of and attitude towards oral health among dental healthcare providers [14, 23–26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge about preventive dentistry versus self-reported competence in providing preventive oral healthcare – a study among Nepalese dentists

Wagle¹,

Acharya²,

Basnet³

et al. 2017

BMC Oral Health

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BackgroundDentists’ and dental healthcare providers’ professional knowledge and attitude towards the prevention of oral diseases may have an impact on the oral health of the general population. The aim of this study was to describe Nepalese dentists’ competency in giving preventive education and treatment to their patients, and to assess their level of knowledge about preventive dental health.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study of 195 dentists (71 males and 124 females). Knowledge of preventive oral healthcare and self-reported aspects of preventive oral healthcare were assessed using a close-ended multiple-choice questionnaire. Statistical evaluation was done using chi-squared test, independent sample t-test and factor analysis as appropriate.ResultsMore than 90% of dentists self-reported to be competent in providing preventive treatment and oral hygiene education to their patients. Female dentists reported being more competent in giving oral hygiene education than their male counterparts (p = 0.045). Dentists scored a mean of 24.06 ± 3.8 [range (15–33)] out of 56 on knowledge based on self-reported awareness of seven different aspects of preventive dentistry. More than 70% of the dentists had relatively good knowledge regarding the use of fluoride, whereas the preventive knowledge in other aspects of dental health such as frequency of sugar consumption, xylitol use, dental visits, sealant, gingival health, dental and general health was found to be limited.ConclusionsThe majority of participating dentists reported a high level of general competency in providing preventive treatment and oral health education to their patients, whereas their knowledge was found to be limited in some aspects of preventive dentistry.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12903-017-0366-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge about preventive dentistry versus self-reported competence in providing preventive oral healthcare – a study among Nepalese dentists

Wagle¹,

Acharya²,

Basnet³

et al. 2017

BMC Oral Health

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“…The relationship between knowledge, attitude and practices has been previously demonstrated [7]: knowledge, attitude, understanding and competency are predispositions to act. The relation between knowledge, attitude and practice seems to be stronger among professionals compared to lay people [3,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of preventive oral health behaviour among senior dental students in Nigeria

et al. 2013

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BackgroundTo study the association between oral health behaviour of senior dental students in Nigeria and their gender, age, knowledge of preventive care, and attitudes towards preventive dentistry.MethodsQuestionnaires were administered to 179 senior dental students in the six dental schools in Nigeria. The questionnaire obtained information on age, gender, oral self-care, knowledge of preventive dental care and attitudes towards preventive dentistry. Attending a dental clinic for check-up by a dentist or a classmate within the last year was defined as preventive care use. Students who performed oral self-care and attended dental clinic for check-ups were noted to have complied with recommended oral self-care. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression models were used for statistical analyses.ResultsMore male respondents agreed that the use of fluoride toothpaste was more important than the tooth brushing technique for caries prevention (P < 0.001). While the use of dental floss was very low (7.3%), more females were more likely to report using dental floss (p=0.03). Older students were also more likely to comply with recommended oral self-care (p<0.001). In binary regression models, respondents who were younger (p=0.04) and those with higher knowledge of preventive dental care (p=0.008) were more likely to consume sugary snacks less than once a day.ConclusionGender differences in the awareness of the superiority of using fluoridated toothpaste over brushing in caries prevention; and in the use of dental floss were observed. While older students were more likely to comply with recommended oral self-care measures, younger students with good knowledge of preventive dental care were more likely to consume sugary snacks less than once a day.

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“…[5,6] Knowledge, attitude, competency and understanding are predisposition to act, as the relationship between knowledge, attitude and practices have been demonstrated previously. [7] In dental practice, the preventive approach has been cited as a predominant part of the service mix of dental practices and has also been the reason for caries decline in recent decades. [4,5] The continuous improvement of oral health can be possible by reorientation of services towards health promotion and prevention as cited by WHO in its list of priority.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of preventive oral health behavior among senior dental students of Greater Noida, India

Prabhakar¹,

Jayaprakash²,

Shivalingesh³

et al. 2015

J Indian Assoc Public Health Dent

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Introduction:Oral self-care practice is an effective preventive measure for maintaining good oral health. The health beliefs and attitudes of health professionals will not only affect their oral self-care habits, but will have a profound influence on their ability to motivate patients to learn and practice preventive oral health measures. Aim: The aim was to determine the preventive oral health behavior of senior dental students in relation to demography, knowledge of preventive care, and attitudes towards preventive dentistry. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a dental institution by distributing pretested questionnaire to 102 final year dental students. The overall response rate was 94%. Data were computed and tabulated.Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test using SPSS. Results: More than half of the respondents (56.25%) agreed that the frequency of sugar consumption has a greater role in producing caries. It was observed that 93.75% of students found preventive dentistry practice to be useful. Significant gender differences were observed in the use of recommended oral self-care, knowledge of using sealant as a caries preventive measure and fluoridation of drinking water as an effective way of preventing caries. Conclusion: There was an appreciably high level of good knowledge of preventive dental care among the dental students with a positive attitude towards preventive dentistry practice.

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Assessing attitudes in dental education: Is it worthwhile?

Cited by 58 publications

References 36 publications

Knowledge about preventive dentistry versus self-reported competence in providing preventive oral healthcare – a study among Nepalese dentists

Knowledge about preventive dentistry versus self-reported competence in providing preventive oral healthcare – a study among Nepalese dentists

Determinants of preventive oral health behaviour among senior dental students in Nigeria

Determinants of preventive oral health behavior among senior dental students of Greater Noida, India

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