Developing reflective health care practitioners: learning from experience in dental hygiene education

Maintaining competence requires health care practitioners to remain current with research and implement practice changes. Having the capacity to reflect on practice experiences is a key skill, but reflective skills need to be taught and developed. This exploratory qualitative study examined the outcomes of a dental hygiene program requirement for developing reflective practitioners. Using a purposive convenience sample, students were solicited to participate in the study and submit reflective journals at the end of two terms. Eleven of twenty-six students participated in the study, providing sixty-four reflective entries that underwent qualitative thematic analysis. Using a reflective model, we identified themes, developed codes, and negotiated among ourselves to reach consensus. Results showed approximately two-thirds of the participants reached the central range as "reflectors" and most of the remaining fell within the lower range as "non-reflectors." We concluded that dental hygiene students reached similar levels of reflection to other groups and the triggers were varied, appropriate for early learners, and divided between positive and negative cues. However, the small sample represented less than one-half of the class, yielding a potentially biased sample. Therefore, we conclude that the findings provide a departure point for further research with a more cross-cutting sample in order to substantiate reflective educational requirements and validate these findings.     

The need for tobacco education: studies of collegiate dental hygiene patients and faculty

The need for inclusion of comprehensive tobacco control education/training for health care providers continues to be stressed in publications addressing cessation services. The dental appointment presents an excellent opportunity to provide tobacco interventions to basically healthy people on regular intervals. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to assess the need (stage of change and concomitant need for tobacco cessation intervention) of dental hygiene patients at a Midwest dental hygiene clinic, and 2) to assess and compare the level of tobacco intervention education currently being offered by dental hygiene educators in a Midwestern state. Patients (n=426) of a collegiate dental health clinic completed a survey that assessed the level and type of tobacco cessation intervention patients might require. A statewide sample of dental hygiene faculty (n=97) were surveyed to determine the attitudes, perceived barriers, and current practices in tobacco education offered in their programs. Of patients who currently smoked (34.5 percent), 24.7 percent indicated being in the Action stage of change; 14.2 percent were in Preparation; 22.2 percent were in Contemplation; and 29 percent were in Precontemplation. Although faculty indicated tobacco education was very important (5.03 on 1-6 scale), they felt only moderately confident delivering tobacco education (3.18 on a 1-5 scale). Only 16 percent to 35 percent of faculty reported that their curriculum included brief motivational interviewing, pharmacotherapies, or setting-up a private practice tobacco control program. The results strongly suggest the need for a comprehensive, competency-based tobacco curriculum to enhance and expand existing dental hygiene programs.     

Preceptorship: the impact on Georgia dental hygiene education

The perceived imbalance between the supply of and demand for practicing dental hygienists has encouraged organized dentistry to pressure legislators for revisions in state practice acts. Georgia's recent experience with this type of legislation has required dental hygiene educators to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies that would increase the pool of available dental hygienists. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of strategies that were developed by Georgia dental hygiene educators to meet the recommendations spurred by proposed legislation in the General Assembly of Georgia. Dental hygiene program directors were charged by the chancellor of the University System of Georgia to improve student recruitment and retention, to explore the feasibility of new programs in areas of need, and to examine innovative ways to improve access to dental hygiene education. Dental hygiene faculties united with their professional association to activate alumni and registered hygienists, to improve public awareness by accentuating positive aspects of dental hygiene careers, and to organize a communication network whereby legislative information could be disseminated rapidly. Student recruitment was strengthened through individual and joint programs organized by dentists and dental hygienists. In response to these efforts, program enrollments were increased substantially, and a new program was established in an area of need. Nationally, dental hygienists are facing many challenges and problems that threaten to weaken or eliminate their status as educated and competent health professionals. Recently, dental and dental hygiene educators' attention was drawn to legislative activity in Georgia.     

Mentoring of dental and dental hygiene faculty: a case study

Given the predicted shortages of dental faculty in the United States, it is important to retain faculty members. Mentoring could play a crucial role in this context. The objectives of this case study were to explore how a six-year mentoring program in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry changed faculty members' perceptions of support from colleagues and their mentoring expectations. In addition, we sought to determine how junior versus senior faculty members and mentors versus mentees differed in their perceptions of faculty roles, their self-perceived competence, and their awareness of departmental expectations at the end of the program. Data were collected with self-administered surveys from twenty-five of the thirty-six faculty members in this department in 2002 (response rate: 69 percent) and from thirty-seven of the fifty-four faculty members in 2008 (response rate: 69 percent). The results showed that the perceptions of support from colleagues improved significantly over the six-year period. During the same time period, mentoring expectations increased. In 2008, junior faculty members as compared to senior faculty members remained less positive about their role as faculty members, felt less well prepared for their professional life, and were less aware of departmental expectations. In conclusion, a departmental mentoring program resulted in improved support from colleagues and increased expectations concerning mentoring experiences. However, future targeted interventions are needed to address the identified differences between junior and senior faculty members. Recommendations for faculty mentoring efforts are discussed.     

The inquiry approach in dental hygiene education

A study was done to assess the impact of an inquiry-oriented curriculum in a dental hygiene program. Two instruments, designed to measure student perception of personal and faculty inquiry and disinquiry behavior, were administered to four consecutive classes twice a year between 1978 and 1981. Junior and senior students perceived a significant increase in faculty inquiry behavior and, initially, a decrease in disinquiry behavior. Time in the program affected student disinquiry behavior at a significant level, though no significant change was seen in inquiry behavior. National Board mean scores improved, and several categories of clinical productivity increased significantly during this period. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Learning climate in dental hygiene education: a longitudinal case study of a Japanese and Canadian programme

To cite this article:
Int J Dent Hygiene
Saito A, Sunell S, Rucker L, Wilson M, Sato Y, Cathcart G. Learning climate in dental hygiene education: a longitudinal case study of a Japanese and Canadian programme. Abstract: Educational climates have been found to have important influences on learning, but little feedback has been obtained from dental hygiene students. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the learning climate in Japanese and Canadian dental hygiene programmes for the purpose of making positive changes. A survey instrument with 10 dimensions relating to learning climate was adapted from business and dental models, and designated as the Dental Hygiene Student Learning Climate Survey (DHS‐LCS). Higher scores indicated a more positive and supportive learning climate, and lower scores indicated an environment that is potentially less desirable. Students enrolled in a Japanese and a Canadian dental hygiene programme participated in this four‐year study from 2005 to 2008. A total of 402 surveys were returned for an average response rate of 62%. The mean total DHS‐LCS score of Canadian students was statistically significantly higher than that of Japanese students (P < 0.001) in all years tested, indicating that the Canadian students’ perceptions of their learning environment were more favourable than those of the Japanese students. Based on the analyses of the DHS‐LCS data, interventions to improve learning climates were designed and implemented. There were statistically significant improvements (P < 0.01) in DHS‐LCS scores of Japanese and Canadian students over the years of the study, suggesting that student‐centred interventions improved the perceived learning environment. The instrument appears to be helpful in identifying student concerns and can be used to implement interventions to help support a healthier learning climate.     

Use of distance education in dental hygiene programs

The prevalence of distance education is steadily increasing in institutions of higher education in the United States and abroad. Colleges and universities are seeking new avenues to deliver curricula to students in remote areas and/or to nontraditional students. Distance education is a relatively new venture for dental hygiene education. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and use of distance education in dental hygiene educational programs nationally. Dental hygiene directors of all associate degree and baccalaureate degree dental hygiene programs in the United States (N = 255) were mailed a fifteen-item survey regarding their use of distance education. Results of the study indicated that 22 percent of dental hygiene programs have implemented distance education. In addition, a large variety of courses are being offered by several distance education delivery methods. Thirty of the thirty-eight dental hygiene programs that responded to the survey reported that they were satisfied with their distance education initiatives. The length of time that distance education was offered by the dental hygiene program was not related to satisfaction level (p = .0795), and there was no relationship between the type of distance education used and satisfaction level (p > .05). Considering all factors involved in this study, we can conclude that distance education is being used in a substantial number of dental hygiene programs and that the majority of these programs are satisfied that distance education is an adequate alternative to traditional "brick and mortar" approaches.     

Articulation in dental hygiene education from the student's perspective

Articulation deals with the transfer of associate degree and certificate dental hygiene students to four-year colleges or universities to complete baccalaureate degrees in the most efficient manner possible. Since a buyer's market exists in higher education at the present time, informed student consumers can select degree completion programs that will best meet their specific long-term career goals. The advantages of securing the bachelor's degree, the degree completion options available, and the factors that affect the articulation process are discussed. Recommendations are offered on how to acquire information about degree completion programs. Questions that students should ask before making a final choice of a four-year institution are also presented. Advance planning by students is a key to future mobility and career adaptability in dental hygiene. To this end, high school and college counselors and faculty members in all dental hygiene programs are instrumental in the articulation process.     

Tobacco use prevention and cessation in dental and dental hygiene undergraduate education

Oral health care professionals are aware of their responsibility to advise patients to stop using tobacco. However, they do not feel sufficiently prepared to help their patients to quit, and consequently are not confident in providing these preventive measures. This fact reflects the lack of emphasis on tobacco cessation in both dental and dental hygiene undergraduate education. It may therefore be assumed that improvement of dental and dental hygiene education in tobacco use cessation counselling may result in increased self-confidence and frequency of its provision. The importance of making space in the curriculum for tobacco use prevention and cessation has to be emphasised. Dental schools and dental hygiene programmes have to be reminded of the key role the dental profession has in tobacco control. Next to the public health aspect of tobacco control, such involvement may be both an ethical and a legal responsibility. The implementation of effective tobacco use prevention and cessation in a dental educational setting requires a multidisciplinary approach involving the school's entire teaching personnel and external experts. In general, a knowledge base attained through lecture, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), or E-Learning, and clinical skills attained through clinical instructions and practices is required. It is suggested that curriculum content should include (1) the biological effects of tobacco use, (2) the history of tobacco culture and psychosocial aspects of tobacco use, (3) prevention and treatment of tobacco use and dependence, and (4) development of clinical skills for tobacco use prevention and cessation.