Dental EHR-infused Persona Ontologies to Enrich Dental Dialogue Interaction of Agents.

The quality of patient-provider communication can predict the healthcare outcomes in patients, and therefore, training dental providers to handle the communication effort with patients is crucial. In our previous work, we developed an ontology model that can standardize and represent patient-provider communication, which can later be integrated in conversational agents as tools for dental communication training. In this study, we embark on enriching our previous model with an ontology of patient personas to portray and express types of dental patient archetypes.

Assessing the benefit of a personalized EHR-generated informed consent in a dental school setting.

Informed consents are routinely used as an important source of information to help patients make appropriate clinical decisions. However, current standard consent forms may not accomplish their intended purpose due to the variety of patient literacy and experiences and, in the dental school setting, the developing competence of students. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the efficacy of a personalized informed consent generated through an electronic health record (EHR) at one dental school and its role in patient decision making.

Assessing the delivery of comprehensive care at a dental school.

A key mission of a dental school is to train students to be competent dentists through the delivery of comprehensive care to patients. Comprehensive care is defined as a seamless and integrated dental treatment that addresses all patients' dental needs. Identification of a health care problem is the essential first step in quality improvement to medical education curriculum and its outcomes.

Use of virtual patients in dental education: a survey of U.S. and Canadian dental schools.

The use of virtual patients in dental education is gaining acceptance as an adjunctive method to live patient interactions for training dental students. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which virtual patients are being utilized in dental education by conducting a survey that was sent to sixty-seven dental schools in the United States and Canada. A total of thirty dental schools responded to the web-based survey.

Ethics and the electronic health record in dental school clinics.

Electronic health records (EHRs) are a major development in the practice of dentistry, and dental schools and dental curricula have benefitted from this technology. Patient data entry, storage, retrieval, transmission, and archiving have been streamlined, and the potential for teledentistry and improvement in epidemiological research is beginning to be realized. However, maintaining patient health information in an electronic form has also changed the environment in dental education, setting up potential ethical dilemmas for students and faculty members.

Assessing the content, presentation, and readability of dental informed consents.

Informed consents are important aids in helping patients make optimal decisions. Little knowledge exists about the quality of dental informed consents. Fifty-two informed consents used throughout the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Dental Branch were evaluated based on the quality of their content, readability, and presentation.

Innovation in dental education in Texas: The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston.

Innovation has been an integral part of The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston and its approach to educating dentists since the school's origin in 1905. Its history is rich with examples, such as a modular, self-directed curriculum and a general practice-based patient care delivery system. Moving into the 21st century, the school has embraced new models for patient care and research upon which to build innovative programs for teaching and learning.

Factors influencing implementation and outcomes of a dental electronic patient record system.

Implementation of clinical information systems is often difficult and costly. Little is known about how to implement electronic patient records in a complex dental school environment. The purpose of this study is to report how such a system was implemented at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Dental Branch and to provide insights that may be useful for other institutions.

A persuasive toothbrush to enhance oral hygiene adherence.

In this research we propose that a real-time wireless monitoring and reminder system can assist patients in maintaining optimal oral health. We provide a conceptual framework that incorporates both the behavioral and technical aspects of the proposed system. Further we present preliminary results of a feasibility experiment of modifying an inexpensive electric toothbrush by attaching an accelerometer and determining the ability to track motion and time by wirelessly transmitting data via Bluetooth technology.

Use of electronic forms within an electronic patient record to create an institutional clinical data repository.

The transition to an electronic patient record (EPR) and a paperless, filmless patient care environment provided new opportunities for clinical data collection, storage and retrieval. Electronic patient care forms were developed using accepted information science principles, such as controlled vocabularies, and agreed upon levels of term specificity. Electronic forms in concert with information science principles enabled The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston (UTDB) to streamline patient care and to create a robust, well-organized and functional institutional repository of clinical data.

SmartConsent: a computerized informed consent for dental patients.

Communicating personalized information to patients about the risks, benefits and other critical information about dental disease and treatment is often difficult for providers. In this research we developed a novel informed consent prototype that can accurately translate and communicate information to patients in a standardized and effective manner based on their diagnosis and prescribed treatment. In future work, we aim to integrate SmartConsent into the institutional electronic patient record (EPR) and determine its effectiveness in a randomized controlled study.

Economic outcomes of a dental electronic patient record.

The implementation of an electronic patient record (EPR) in many sectors of health care has been suggested to have positive relationships with both quality of care and improved pedagogy, although evaluation of actual results has been somewhat disillusioning. Evidence-based dentistry clearly suggests the need for tools and systems to improve care, and an EPR is a critical tool that has been widely proposed in recent years. In dental schools, EPR systems are increasingly being adopted, despite obstacles such as high costs, time constraints necessary for process workflow change, and overall project complexity.

A human-centered design of a dental discharge summary (DDS) for patients.

Patients are often provided with sub-optimal information regarding their clinic visits. Patients sometimes forget post-discharge instructions provided verbally, and infrequently follow preventative advice to improve health. In this research we propose to develop and evaluate a dental discharge summary (DDS) for patients through a human-centered design process.

Creating a searchable digital dental radiograph repository for patient care, teaching and research using an online photo management and sharing application.

With the advent of digital dental radiographs, dentistry is amassing an unprecedented volume of images as electronic patient records (EPR) and dental PACS (picture archive and communication system) become more commonplace. While radiographic findings and diagnostic information are visually discerned from images, this information is not digitally associated with the images. This project will explore the formation of an online, searchable data repository of dental radiographs and associated meta information.

Integrating electronic patient records into a multi-media clinic-based simulation center using a PC blade platform: a foundation for a new pedagogy in dentistry.

Simulation has been used for many years in dental education, but the educational context is typically a laboratory divorced from the clinical setting, which impairs the transfer of learning. Here we report on a true simulation clinic with multimedia communication from a central teaching station. Each of the 43 fully-functioning student operatories includes a thin-client networked computer with access to an Electronic Patient Record (EPR).

Documentation of clinical workflow: a key step in a plan to facilitate implementation of an Electronic Patient Record.

After a year of preparation, the UT Dental Branch implemented an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) for digital imaging. Central to the preparatory process was documentation of existing clinic workflow as a set of detailed flowcharts, which eased cultural and logistical changes and had the immediate benefit of increasing system efficiencies.

Assessing user perceptions of an electronic patient record (EPR) before implementation.

As part of a comprehensive strategy to implement an electronic patient record (EPR), faculty, residents, students and support staff, were surveyed to assess their attitudes and awareness towards an EPR before implementation. Results of the survey suggested a high degree of awareness and optimistic outlook by many users about the potential of the EPR to improve efficiency and patient care.

Combination of aspirin and clopidogrel for the prevention of thrombosis: implications for the dental practitioner.

The use of aspirin and clopidogrel as effective antiplatelet therapy in preventing secondary thromboembolic events is well-established. However, there is controversy among dentists and physicians regarding the appropriate dental management of patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy due to the lack of clinical studies about hemorrhagic risk in these patients. Indications for modifying dual antiplatelet therapy--whether it is done by altering doses, switching to monotherapy, or discontinuing it completely--occur infrequently, as most patients can be treated in a dental office setting.

Scope of practice comparison: a tool for curriculum decision making.

The proportion of claims filed for specific dental procedures (ADA codes # 05110, 05120, 03320, 03330, 04260, 02150) between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2004 by Texas general practitioners participating in a preferred provider network was compared to the proportion of these procedures performed by students graduating from the three Texas dental schools during the same period. Analysis of the data revealed that Texas dental students provide class two amalgam restorations in permanent teeth (02150) at approximately the same frequency as Texas general practitioners. Both groups provide periodontal osseous surgery (04260) at an extremely low frequency (<0.

A model for clinical credentialing of dental school faculty.

Committed to the premise that the same standards of review for clinical practice may be applied to clinical teaching, The University of Texas Health Science Center Dental Branch at Houston began credentialing clinical faculty in 1997 as part of its quality assurance and risk management program, one of the first dental schools in the country to do so. Credentialing, modeled after health care institutions such as hospitals, is general and procedure-specific involving the review of qualifications such as licensure, training, education, experience, and performance of professional practitioners; measuring those qualifications against pre-established criteria; and granting of "clinical privileges" to clinical faculty to perform or supervise procedures for which they are deemed qualified, based on that review. The development process included the leadership of the Quality Assurance and Risk Management Committee who met with all interested parties, explained the rationale and justification for credentialing, and successfully gained the support of the clinical department chairs, clinical faculty, faculty senate, and the administration of the school in implementing the credentials process.