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Abstract
Purpose: The Commission on Dental Accreditation requires that dental, dental hygiene and dental assisting schools offer educational experiences to ensure that prospective dental health care providers become culturally competent, socially responsible practitioners. To assert that these mandates are met requires that the faculty are knowledgeable and capable of providing this type of training. Currently, little is known about the cultural competence of the state of Florida allied dental faculty. The purpose of this study was to assess the cultural competence among the dental hygiene and dental assistant faculty in the state of Florida.
Methods: One hundred ninety-three faculty were invited to take the Knowledge, Efficacy and Practices Instrument (KEPI), a validated measure of cultural competence. Respondents included 77 (74%) full-time and 27 (26%) part-time faculty. Data were analyzed descriptively and reliabilities (Cronbach's alpha) were computed.
Results: Mean scores and internal estimates of reliability on the KEPI subscales were: knowledge of diversity 3.3 (ɑ=0.88), culture-centered practice 3.6 (ɑ=0.88) and efficacy of assessment 2.9 (ɑ=0.74). The participant's score of 3.6 on the culture-centered practice exceeds scores among dental students and faculty who participated in previous studies suggesting the allied dental faculty have a greater awareness of sociocultural and linguistically diverse dental patients' oral health needs. Participants' score on knowledge of diversity subscales suggests a need for moderate training, while their score on the efficacy of assessment subscale indicates a need for more intense training.
Conclusion: Assessing faculty beliefs, knowledge and skills about cultural competency is critically important in ensuring that accreditation standards are being met and represents one step in the process of ensuring that faculty demonstrate the type of sensitivity and responsiveness, which characterizes behaviors associated with cultural competence.
Footnotes
Linda S. Behar-Horenstein, PhD, is a Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor, Colleges of Dentistry, Education, Veterinary Medicine, & Pharmacy, Director of CTSI Educational Development & Evaluation and co-Director of the HRSA Faculty Development in Dentistry at the University of Florida. Cyndi W. Garvan, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Florida. Yu Su, MEd, is a doctoral student in the College of Education at the University of Florida. Xiaoying Feng, BS, is a doctoral student in the College of Education at the University of Florida. Frank A. Catalanotto, DMD, is a Professor, College of Dentistry at the University of Florida.
This study supports the NDHRA priority area, Professional Education and Development: Identify the factors that affect recruitment and retention of faculty.
Disclosure
This project was supported, in part, by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under (Award # 1 D86HP24477-01-00, Faculty development supporting academic dental institution curriculum for 21st century. Awarded $2,552,191). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
- Copyright © 2016 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association
