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Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this article is to discuss the impact of the training program for predoctoral dental and hygiene students at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLUSD) with regard to issues related to treating patients with a high risk of having HIV/AIDS.
Methods: LLUSD offers a training program for fourth-year dental hygiene and predoctoral dental students that addresses the oral health care needs of persons with HIV disease. The training occurs in small groups 2 days per week at a community clinic serving HIV-positive individuals. Three academic quarters are required to train all fourth-year students each year. Evaluation of program effectiveness is conducted by means of pre- and post-session surveys. Dental hygiene and dental students completed the pre-survey during the spring quarter of their third year in public health dentistry courses. The same students completed the post-session survey at the end of their weekly training sessions during the fourth year.
Results: The overall change in all areas related to the students' comfort level in treating patients in the 3 defined categories is in a positive direction (p-value<0.0001). The change was much higher among dental hygiene students compared with predoctoral dental students.
Conclusion: A comparison of pre- and post-session surveys reveals a significant improvement in students' perception of and comfort level with treating patients who are homosexual/bisexual or intravenous drug users, or who have a history of blood transfusion in both student groups upon completion of the HIV and the Dentist training program at LLUSD.
Footnotes
Zuhair S. Natto, BDS, MBA, MPH, DrPH, is currently a resident in the graduate program in Periodontics at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, and is also a Lecturer in Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Majdi Aladmawy, BDS, AGD is currently a resident in the graduate program in Periodontics at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, and is also is employed as a restorative dentist at Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Saudi Arabia. Thomas Rogers, DDS, MPH, MA, is an Associate Professor at the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry.
This study supports the NDHRA priority area, Occupational Health and Safety: Investigate the impact of exposure to environmental stressors on the health of the dental hygienist.
Disclosure
This project was supported by a Community–Based Dental Partnership Grant issued under Part F of the Ryan White Program by the Federal Health Resources and Services Agency (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau, Grant number H65HA00004.
- Copyright © 2015 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association
