Abstract
Purpose: To provide dental hygiene students with a service learning opportunity to work with special needs and culturally diverse underserved populations through the Oral Health on Wheels (OHOW) community based mobile dental hygiene clinic.
Methods: A student feedback survey was administered between the years of 2009 and 2013 to 90 students in order to gather and identify significant satisfaction, skills acquisition and personal growth information after the student's clinical experience on the OHOW. ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient statistical analysis were utilized to investigate relationships between student responses to key questions in the survey.
Results: An analysis of 85 student responses (94.44%) demonstrated statistically significant correlations between student learning and their understanding of underserved populations, building confidence in skills, participation as a dental team member and understanding their role in total patient care. The strong correlations between these key questions related to the clinical experience and students confidence, skills integration into the dental team, and understanding of both total patient care, and the increased understanding of the oral health care needs of special populations. All questions directly link to the core mission of the OHOW program.
Conclusion: The OHOW clinical experience allows dental hygiene students a unique opportunity to engage in their community while acquiring necessary clinical competencies required by national accreditation and providing access to oral health care services to underserved patients who would otherwise go without treatment.
- access to care
- alternative practice
- cultural competency
- clinical education
- dental hygiene
- dental hygiene work force models
Footnotes
Heather Flick, RDH, MS, MPH, Professor, Department of Dental Hygiene, Johnson County Community College. Project Coordinator, Oral Health on Wheels. Sheri Barrett, EdD, Director, Outcomes Assessment, Johnson County Community College. Carrie Carter-Hanson, RDH, MA, EdD, Director, Department of Dental Hygiene, Johnson County Community College.
This study supports the NDHRA priority area, Health Services Research: Investigate how alternative models of dental hygiene care delivery can reduce health care inequities.
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