The Prenatal Oral Health Program (pOHP) was developed to educate dental students on prenatal oral health and promote access to dental care for pregnant women. Program advancement has occurred in support of quality improvement. This mixed-methods design combined quantitative data from fourth-year dental students who participated the pOHP (N = 81) and qualitative data from a student-faculty-staff focus group discussion (N = 7). Different clinical structures, appropriate leveling in the curriculum, management with a patient care coordinator, and inclusion of interprofessional learning experiences (IPE) were compared. The survey response rate was 96.4% (N = 81). Trends were noted between students who provided clinical care for a pregnant patient (31%) versus those who did not. Results indicated that an integrated clinic was preferred, though students who had treated a pOHP patient showed greater support for a standalone clinic model. Survey and focus group data agreed that pOHP should occur during the third-year dental school training; however, students with patient experience favored second-year placement. Survey and focus group data emphasize the importance of a patient care coordinator for clinical management and IPE as an essential learning element. Innovating new clinical models requires a period of evolution to determine preferred and sustainable infrastructure. Results reveal the advantages and disadvantages of various program implementation models and demonstrate that student perceptions were influenced by their clinical experiences. Study findings will inform implementation and guide other programs as they create and modify existing curricula to enhance prenatal oral health.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/15248399231207070DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

prenatal oral
16
oral health
16
dental students
12
focus group
12
health program
8
care pregnant
8
patient care
8
care coordinator
8
survey focus
8
group data
8

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!