Validation of the HeLD-14 functional oral health literacy instrument in a general population.

Background: Oral health literacy (OHL) is recognized as an important determinant of oral outcomes. Measuring OHL with a valid and reliable instrument that accurately captures the functional nature of this construct across cultures is needed. The short version of the Health Literacy in Dentistry scale (HeLD-14) shows promise as an appropriate instrument due to its inclusion of comprehensive domains hypothesized to comprise OHL.

Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to predict the behavioral intent of teledentistry utilization amongst United States adults.

Introduction: Teledentistry is an innovative health care delivery platform that can potentially improve oral health access and outcomes. The purpose of this study was to predict teledentistry utilization intentions of U.S.

A comparison of simulation and traditional local anesthesia teaching methods among dental hygiene students.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced dental educators to quickly modify the teaching-learning platform without testing outcomes of alternative teaching methods prior to implementation. One critical course affected was the teaching of local anesthesia (LA) that moved from practicing injections using the traditional student-to-student method to the simulation model using manikins.

Purpose: This study compared two LA teaching methods (student-to-student versus simulation) in two consecutive cohorts before and during the pandemic to assess differences in students' skill level and self-confidence.

Functional Oral Health Literacy and Periodontal Health.

Growing evidence associates low oral health literacy (OHL) with poor oral health outcomes. While nearly half of United States adults have periodontal disease (PD), there are conflicting results on association between OHL and PD. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the association between functional OHL and periodontal health as defined by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) classification system.

Human Papillomavirus Content Inclusion in Dental Hygiene Program Curricula in the United States.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancers (OPC) have significantly increased over the past three decades despite vaccine availability to prevent carcinogenic HPV types. Dental hygienists are well-positioned to provide HPV counsel to patients; however, most do not feel prepared to do so. The purpose of this study was to examine HPV content inclusion in dental hygiene program curricula in the United States (US).

Acceptance of Dental Office Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening among Minnesota State Fair Attendees.

: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common breathing disorder; however, many individuals remain undiagnosed. The purpose of this study was to assess the comfort level of community-dwelling adults to participate in OSA screening in a dental office setting and survey the OSA risk levels of an adult population. This cross-sectional study was conducted among adults presenting at the University of Minnesota Driven to Discover Research Facility during the 2018 Minnesota State Fair.

Item and scale properties of the Oral Health Literacy Adults Questionnaire assessed by item response theory.

Objectives: a) To evaluate the item and scale properties of the Oral Health Literacy Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ) in an adult general population. b) To determine precision or accuracy of the respondents' estimated scores along the Oral Health Literacy (OHL) spectrum using item response theory (IRT) modeling.

Methods: Survey data were collected from a convenience sample of 405 adult attendees of the 2014 Minnesota State Fair.

The Association of Social Determinants of Health with Somali Refugee Mother-Child Caries.

Minnesota has the largest population of Somali refugees with the majority depending on public insurance for dental care. The social determinants of health (SDOH) framework is helpful to identify factors that may be related to oral health, and subsequently plan for public health initiatives. The purpose of this study was to measure the correlation between Somali refugee mother-child caries experience, and to identify associations between SDOH factors and child caries.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Knowledge: Attitudes and screening practices of Minnesota dental hygienists.

Reported cases of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) range between 4% to 9%, however between 70% to 90% of adults in the United States remain undiagnosed. The purpose of this study was to determine the current knowledge and attitudes of OSA among Minnesota dental hygienists and inventory OSA screening protocols currently used in dental practices. The cross sectional study used an adapted Obstructive Sleep Apnea Knowledge and Attitude (OSAKA) survey instrument.

Confirmation of the unidimensional structure of the Oral Health Literacy Adults Questionnaire.

Objectives: The Oral Health Literacy Adults Questionnaire (OHL-AQ) was designed to test functional oral health literacy in general populations. Exploratory analyses suggested a unidimensional structure rather than the four constructs proposed (reading comprehension, numeracy, listening and decision-making). The purpose of this study was to conduct a confirmatory analysis of the OHL-AQ.

Influence of Socioecomomic and Oral Health Status on Acceptability of Dental Therapists' Oral Health Care.

Unlabelled: This study explored the acceptability of dental therapists by respondents' socioeconomic factors and oral health status.

Methods: Data were collected from 405 adults during the 2014 Minnesota State Fair through completion of an electronic questionnaire and a modified Basic Screening Survey (BSS).

Results: This study found no relevant and statistically significant relationships between a respondent's various socioeconomic factors and their acceptability of care provided by a dental therapist.

Improving Evaluation of Dental Hygiene Students' Cultural Competence with a Mixed-Methods Approach.

Most dental hygiene educational programs include cultural competence education, but may not evaluate student outcomes. The aim of this study was to design and implement a mixed-methods evaluation to measure dental hygiene students' progression toward cultural competence. Two cohorts consisting of consecutive classes in one U.

Did Intraprofessional Training with Dental Therapists Affect Dental Students' Attitudes Toward Caring for the Underserved?

Dental therapy was recently introduced as a new oral health care workforce model to increase care for vulnerable populations in Minnesota. Nine dental therapy and 98 dental students began intraprofessional training at the University of Minnesota in 2009. The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine whether intraprofessional education with the dental therapy students would affect the dental students' attitudes toward caring for underserved populations.

Assessing Dental Hygienists' Communication Techniques for Use with Low Oral Health Literacy Patients.

Purpose: This primary aim of this study was to assess communication techniques used with low oral health literacy patients by dental hygienists in rural Wisconsin dental clinics. A secondary aim was to determine the utility of the survey instrument used in this study.

Methods: A mixed methods study consisting of a cross-sectional survey, immediately followed by focus groups, was conducted among dental hygienists in the Marshfield Clinic (Wisconsin) service area.

Validation of the English-language version of 5-item Oral Health Impact Profile.

Purpose: The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) is currently the most widely used oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) instrument. The study validated the English-language 5-item OHIP by investigating its psychometric properties of dimensionality, reliability, and validity in the adult general population.

Methods: In 405 subjects (mean age 45+15.

Provider and interpreter preferences among Somali women in a primary care setting.

Objectives: Somali people are among the largest refugee populations to resettle in North America and Europe over the past 2 decades, and health disparities are well documented, including barriers to effective navigation of primary health care systems. Patient-provider gender discordance has been described as a barrier to health-seeking behaviors and effective communication by Somali women in past qualitative work. The objective of this study was to elucidate provider and interpreter preferences during clinical encounters according to gender and race among Somali women in the United States.

The projected effect of the Affordable Care Act on dental care for adult Medicaid enrollees.

Fewer than half of all U.S. states provide dental care for non-elderly adult Medicaid enrollees.

Adaptation of an Acculturation Scale for African Refugee Women.

Newly-arrived African refugees are a vulnerable group of immigrants for whom no validated acculturation measures exist. A valid measurement tool is essential to understand how acculturative processes impact health and health disparities. We adapted the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire (BIQ) to characterize its reliability among ethnic Somali women residing in Minnesota, and Somali, Somali Bantu, and Burundian women in Arizona.

Cervical cancer screening adherence among Somali immigrants and refugees to the United States.

Somali women have lower cervical cancer screening (CCS) rates than non-Somali women in the United States. We examined clinical and administrative data associated with CCS adherence among Somali women seen at a large primary care practice over 2 years. Fifty-one percent of 310 women were adherent to CCS, and adherence was associated with more overall health care system visits.

'They leave at least believing they had a part in the discussion': understanding decision aid use and patient-clinician decision-making through qualitative research.

Objective: This study explores how patient decision aids (DAs) for antihyperglycemic agents and statins, designed for use during clinical consultations, are embedded into practice, examining how patients and clinicians understand and experience DAs in primary care visits.

Methods: We conducted semistructured in-depth interviews with patients (n=22) and primary care clinicians (n=19), and videorecorded consultations (n=44). Two researchers coded all transcripts.

Primary care utilization and mental health diagnoses among adult patients requiring interpreters: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Patients requiring interpreters may utilize the health care system differently or more frequently than patients not requiring interpreters; those with mental health issues may be particularly difficult to diagnose.

Objective: To determine whether adult patients requiring interpreters exhibit different health care utilization patterns and rates of mental health diagnoses than their counterparts.

Design: Retrospective cohort study examining patient visits to primary care (PC), express care (EC), or the emergency department (ED) of a large group practice within 1 year.

Predictors of patient comfort and adherence with less frequent cervical cancer screening.

Background: The Papanicolaou (Pap) test is an effective, well-accepted screening tool that has led to a decrease in cervical cancer incidence and mortality. Updated evidence-based cervical cancer screening guidelines support less frequent testing in low-risk patients but have met resistance from providers and patients.

Aims: To assess patient knowledge about cervical cancer screening and attitudes toward recommendations for less frequent testing.

Evaluating sex and gender competencies in the medical curriculum: a case study.

Background: Sex and gender differences exist in the manifestation and prevalence of many conditions and diseases. Yet many clinician training programs neglect to integrate this information across their curricula.

Objective: This study aimed to measure the sex and gender medical knowledge of medical students enrolled in a program without an explicit directive to integrate sex and gender differences across a block system of core subjects.

Fertility after cesarean delivery among Somali-born women resident in the USA.

We evaluated the reproductive impact of cesarean versus vaginal delivery in Somali immigrants. Data were extracted for 106 Somali women delivering vaginally (64%) or by cesarean section (36%) between 1994 and 2006. Index delivery (vaginal versus cesarean) was compared to the cumulative incidence rate of subsequent deliveries.