Postpartum U.S. Women's Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices During Pregnancy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women who had given birth in the United States within the past 2 years, and to evaluate factors affecting women's dental service utilization during pregnancy.

Methods: This study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design and employed non-probability sampling methods. The 47-item questionnaire included: oral health behaviors (8), knowledge (5), attitudes (12), and practices during pregnancy (10), and demographic (12) questions.

Oral Health Considerations of Children: Grandparent Caregiver Perceptions, Behaviors, and Knowledge.

Introduction: In the United States, approximately 2.7 million grandparents have permanent custody of their grandchildren. Prevalence of primary dental caries has remained steady for those living in poverty, and among children of color.

Oral Health Professionals Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Toward Patients with Depression.

Depression is a rising global health concern manifesting bidirectional relationships between chronic disease conditions such as type 2 diabetes and oral health. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of oral health care professionals towards individuals with depression.: A 24-item, validated Knowledge Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey was used for this descriptive, cross-sectional study.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Children: An Assessment of the Relationship between Child and Caregiver Reporting.

Oral and craniofacial conditions or diseases can impact an individual's health and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to assess the perceived oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children, and evaluate the reported level of agreement between caregivers and their children. Purposive sampling was used to recruit children ages 8-15, and their caregivers from a dental clinic in a pediatric hospital for this descriptive, cross-sectional study.

An Oral Health Education Training Intervention: A pilot study with Haitian schoolteachers.

Risk factors for oral disease are elevated among disadvantaged populations living in developing countries; rural Haitian school children have limited or no access to health care services. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess Haitian schoolteachers' attitudes and knowledge on oral health prior to and after attending an oral health educational intervention as well as their perceptions and experiences of receiving and implementing oral health education in a Haitian classroom setting. This mixed methods study used a quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group pre/post-test design, before and after a 3-day oral health educational training in Borel, Haiti.

Interest in Dental Hygiene Therapy: a study of dental hygienists in Maine.

The purpose of this study was to assess the awareness of registered dental hygienists (RDHs), licensed in the state of Maine, regarding the midlevel dental hygiene therapist (DHT) provider model and to gather data regarding the degree of interest in enrolling in a DHT program. A quantitative cross-sectional study design with a non-probability purposive sampling of actively practicing RDHs in the state of Maine (n=1,284) was utilized for the web-based survey. Survey questions included awareness in the passage of DHT legislation, level of interest pursuing education and licensure in this midlevel provider model.

Treatment of a Culturally Diverse Refugee Population: Dental hygiene students' perceptions and experiences.

Dental hygiene professionals need to be prepared as part of their entry level education process, to treat the wide range of culturally diverse patients they may encounter in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of a cohort of senior dental hygiene students in regards to their preparedness to treat a culturally diverse patient. A purposeful sample of second year dental hygiene students (n=18) participated in semi-structured group interviews before and after the treatment of a culturally diverse patient.

Development and Testing of a Smartphone Application Prototype for Oral Health Promotion.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a smartphone application (app) prototype, ToothSense, as an oral health promotion tool for the prevention of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A quantitative and qualitative design process based on the TPB was used for the app development in the first phase of the study. A behavioral intervention technologic model was used to document the app features design, accounting for Doshi's intervention strategies for the TPB.

Oral Health Care Providers' Knowledge and Attitudes About Intimate Partner Violence.

Given its high prevalence, intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important public health issue. Oral health care providers (OHCPs) often encounter victims of intimate partner abuse in dental settings, but there is a lack of existing literature regarding OHCPs' attitudes toward and knowledge of IPV. This study assessed OHCPs' knowledge and perception of preparedness in assessment and management for IPV.

Vietnamese Oral Health Beliefs and Practices: Impact on the Utilization of Western Preventive Oral Health Care.

Infrequent use of the Western health care by the Vietnamese may be explained by deeply-rooted traditional oral health beliefs and practices unique to the Asian culture. This study investigated Vietnamese oral health beliefs and practices and their relationship to the utilization of Western preventive oral health care services among Vietnamese-Americans. An exploratory, cross-sectional survey design with a convenience sample of 140 par-ticipants (n = 140) was used for this study.

Child Care Providers' Knowledge About Dental Injury First Aid in Preschool-age Children.

The aim of this study was to assess child care providers' level of knowledge of first aid management and attitudes towards dental injuries among preschool-age children within Fairfield County, Connecticut and Boston, Massachusetts. This descriptive cross-sectional study used a web-based, validated questionnaire adapted from several studies with permission from authors. A panel of 5 dental experts determined the relevance of the questions and overall content (I-CVI range 0.

Public Health Dental Hygienists in Massachusetts: A Qualitative Study.

The aim of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of public health dental hygienists on providing preventive care to underserved populations in Massachusetts. Non-probability purposive sampling was used for initial participant recruitment, and snowball sampling occurred thereafter. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews.

Attitudes and Practices Among Medical Providers Regarding Oral Health Assessments in Young Children.

Research indicates that while most nondental medical providers believe pediatric oral assessments are important, most lack education and training. This study investigated a metropolitan area in Southern California medical providers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices on oral health assessments. Results indicate a high incidence of incorrect dental knowledge.

Oral Health Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices of Albanian Immigrants in the United States.

Research indicates a high prevalence of oral disease among Albanians. There is a lack of evidence regarding oral health beliefs and practices among Albanian immigrants in the United States and abroad. This research seeks to better understand the oral health beliefs, attitudes, and practices among Albanian immigrants living in the United States.

An Assessment Model for Evaluating Outcomes in Federally Qualified Health Centers' Dental Departments: Results of a 5 Year Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this report was to establish baseline data on 10 oral health performance indicators over 5 fiscal years (2007 to 2008 through 2011 to 2012) for an Iowa health center. The baseline data provides an assessment model and reports outcomes based on the use of the model. Performance indicators show evidence of provider performance, accountability to stakeholders and provide the benchmarks required for dental management to develop future goals to improve oral health outcomes for atrisk populations.

Utilizing a Diabetes Risk Test and A1c Point-of-Care Instrument to Identify Increased Risk for Diabetes In an Educational Dental Hygiene Setting.

Purpose: The objective of this pilot study was to demonstrate the number of patients at increased risk for type 2 diabetes development using a validated survey; and to assess the rate of compliance for A1c screening in an educational dental hygiene setting.

Methods: This was a descriptive study using a purposive sample of patients in an academic dental hygiene clinic, who were 18 years or older, not diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Utilizing the American Diabetes Association adopted diabetes risk survey, patients determined to be at increased risk for type 2 diabetes were offered the opportunity for further assessment by having their A1c tested using a point of care instrument.

Association between Early Childhood Caries, Feeding Practices and an Established Dental Home.

Purpose: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a significant public health concern disproportionately affecting low-income children. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between the establishment of a dental home and ECC prevalence in a group of Medicaid-enrolled preschool children, and to explore feeding practices associated with an increased prevalence of ECC in Medicaid-enrolled preschool children with an established dental home was evaluated.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Medicaid-enrolled children (n=132) between 2 and 5 years of age with an established dental home and no dental home to compare feeding practices, parental knowledge of caries risk factors and oral health status.

Immigrant Caregivers of Young Children: Oral Health Beliefs, Attitudes, and Early Childhood Caries Knowledge.

The incidence of early childhood caries (ECC) is a global public health concern. The oral health knowledge of a caregiver can affect a child's risk for developing ECC. An exploratory study of the oral health knowledge and behaviors among caregivers of children 6 years of age and younger was conducted with a convenience sample of adults (n = 114) enrolled in English language or high school equivalency examination courses.

An Assessment Model for Evaluating Outcomes in Federally Qualified Health Centers' Dental Departments: Results of a 5 Year Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this report was to establish baseline data on 10 oral health performance indicators over 5 fiscal years (2007 to 2008 through 2011 to 2012) for an Iowa health center. The baseline data provides an assessment model and reports outcomes based on the use of the model. Performance indicators show evidence of provider performance, accountability to stakeholders and provide the benchmarks required for dental management to develop future goals to improve oral health outcomes for at-risk populations.

Short-term effects of non-surgical periodontal therapy on clinical measures of impaired glucose tolerance in people with prediabetes and chronic periodontitis.

Purpose: Diabetes and periodontal disease are conditions considered to be biologically linked. Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or glycated hemoglobin (A1C) levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Few human studies address the relationship between periodontitis and prediabetes or clarify an association between periodontitis and prediabetes.

Improving oral health outcomes from pregnancy through infancy.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of current professional guidelines regarding oral health care through pregnancy and infancy stages, and to include risks associated with treatment, as well as health care providers' beliefs and attitudes surrounding treatment of these specific populations. Although dental treatment during the second trimester is ideal, there is no indication that preventive or restorative dental treatment during any trimester of pregnancy can cause harm to the mother or developing fetus. Despite these recommendations, routine dental care is often voluntarily avoided or postponed for the duration of pregnancy.