Empathy in Dentistry: How Attitudes and Interaction With Older Adults Make a Difference.

The development of empathy and positive attitudes are essential elements of professional education. This study explored the nature of empathy and its association with attitudes about, and exposure to older patients in a sample of dental students. Students completed an adapted version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE), the Aging Semantic Differential (ASD) and answered questions about their exposure to older people.

A pilot test of motivational oral health promotion with alcohol-dependent inpatients.

Objective: Motivational interviewing (MI) is an effective intervention for improving health behavior in a number of domains, and evidence suggests that it may be useful for promoting oral health. The current pilot study was designed to provide initial evidence that, compared with a didactic control intervention, a brief MI-based intervention (BMI) delivered by dental practitioners can yield greater improvements in oral hygiene, health-care utilization, and health outcomes in a population at heightened risk for oral disease.

Method: Either the control intervention or BMI, delivered by a dentist or a dental hygienist, was randomly assigned to 60 individuals in inpatient treatment for alcohol-use disorders.

Infrared spectroscopic analysis of restorative composite materials' surfaces and their saline extracts.

This study aims at finding out if multiple attenuated internal reflection-infrared (MAIR-IR) spectroscopic analysis can be used as a tool to differentiate commercial resin composite brands and to find out if different resin composites will have different abilities of leaching materials that are cytotoxic to human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) Tooth-colored resin fillings have become increasingly popular as restorative materials, which make it important to differentiate the commercial brands for forensic and biological purposes. Fourteen resin composite brands were used in the study. MAIR-IR spectroscopic analysis was used for surface characterization of the organic and inorganic parts of the resin composite samples which were studied as is and after 2 weeks of saline incubation.

Dental students' attitudes about older adults: do type and amount of contact make a difference?

This study was an extension of a previous study that considered dental student attitudes about older adults. In the current study, the association of student interactions with older adults, in both the dental school clinic and daily life, with their attitudes about this group was evaluated using the Aging Semantic Differential. A total of 311 dental students across all four years of academic standing were included in the study.

Factors that influence dental students' attitudes about older adults.

Our study considered dental students' general attitudes towards older persons using the Aging Semantic Differential. The influence of age, gender, cohort, education, and academic exposure on general attitudes towards older adults was evaluated using a total of 328 dental students across all four years of academic standing. Students were assessed in the fall and spring semesters.

More than a set of teeth: assessing and enhancing dental students' perceptions of older adults.

Dental professionals play a key role in maintaining the well-being of older adults by identifying problems that disturb systemic health. A 3-part instrument was used to assess dental students' knowledge of aging, comfort with patient diversity and patient care strategies (Years 1-4; N = 321). Collaborative education and services were developed by the Schools of Dental Medicine and Social Work.

Trigeminal neuralgia with intraoral trigger points: report of two cases.

A variety of pathologic conditions can cause orofacial pain. Establishing the etiology of the pain is key to providing appropriate treatment. Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a relatively uncommon condition and can present a diagnostic challenge to even the experienced dental practitioner.

Improving patient retention and access to oral health care: the CARES program.

Improving access to dental care for patients experiencing barriers such as financial, transportation, or mental health is a public health concern. Dental schools have an obligation to assist patients experiencing such barriers as well as to educate future dentists and allied professionals on how to assist these patients in overcoming barriers. Once admitted to the dental clinic, retention issues can further complicate the provision of dental care.

Coexistent concerns: assessing the social and health needs of dental clinic patients.

University dental clinic professionals identified increasing numbers of patients with complex problems and generated 2 research questions: (1) Are there significant health and social concerns within the dental clinic population that indicate the need for high-risk screening and social work services?; and (2) How do age, gender, and income influence health and social concerns in this population? This exploratory descriptive cross-sectional study employed a brief self-report survey in a clinic waiting area. Logistic regression was used to understand the influence of age, gender and income on the existence of specific concerns. Results indicate that caregiving, finances and health are issues for 1/3 of the participants and that 44% endorsed 2 or more concerns.

Understanding dental students' knowledge and perceptions of older people: toward a new model of geriatric dental education.

Increasing numbers of older people and the decreasing rates of edentulism highlight the importance of dental education that focuses on oral health and aging. This evaluation study assessed dental students' knowledge and beliefs about older people as well as their awareness of the biopsychosocial concerns that are potential barriers to oral health care. Dental students' (N=202) knowledge and perceptions of older people were evaluated before and after the first year of a new educational program.