Role of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners in Oral Health Care (original) (raw)
Related papers
Oral health education for pediatric nurse practitioner students
Journal of dental education, 2013
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an interdisciplinary, multifaceted oral health education program delivered to pediatric nurse practitioner students at the University of California, San Francisco, would improve their knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and behaviors regarding the provision of oral health assessments, consultations, referrals, and services to young children during well-child visits. Thirty pediatric nurse practitioner students were included in the study. Participants completed a written survey before and after receiving an interdisciplinary educational intervention that included didactic education, simulation exercises, and clinical observation by a pediatric dental resident. Between pre-intervention and post-intervention, a significant improvement was seen in the pediatric nurse practitioners' knowledge of oral health topics (p<0.001), confidence when providing oral health counseling (p<0.001), and attitudes about including oral health counselin...
Educating Pediatricians and Family Physicians in Children's Oral Health
Academic Pediatrics, 2009
A Report of the Surgeon General (SGROH) alerted the public and health professionals to the importance of oral health and the vulnerability of poor and underserved children to dental disease. In response, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) have initiated training programs for residents and practicing physicians, allowing them to conduct oral health screenings, apply preventive strategies, and facilitate appropriate referrals to dentists. Training programs are increasingly available on the Web, but their quality and effectiveness are rarely assessed. To ensure greater inclusion of oral health in graduate medical education, voluntary curricular guidelines have been developed, and education in oral health is mandated in family medicine residency programs. Several initiatives engaging practicing physicians in oral health activities have demonstrated improved access and reduced dental disease in children, but evaluation of all programs is essential to determine cost effectiveness and outcomes. The actions of AAP, AAFP, STFM, and other large-scale initiatives have helped break down the traditional separation between medicine and dentistry. Collaboration between physicians and dentists should be encouraged at all levels of education to ensure improvement of the oral health of America's children.
Educating Pediatricians on Children's Oral Health: Past, Present, and Future
Pediatrics, 2004
Objective. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy Oral Health Risk Assessment Timing and Establishment of the Dental Home encourages pediatricians to play an important role in the oral health of children. The purpose of this study was to determine how well pediatricians are prepared to play the AAP suggested role in children's oral health by examining the oral health content of their educational process.Methods. This article reviews current medical education guidelines, programs, surveys, and pediatrician experiences in oral health training at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education levels.Results. Although some medical schools, residency programs, and continuing medical education efforts do include oral health in their curricula, the practice is not widespread. Professional and oversight organizations such as the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics, Association of Pediatric Program Direc...
The past few decades have witnessed an increased focus on the importance of oral health on the social, psychological and developmental well-being of children. Although effective and advanced dental prevention measures and treatment options are increasingly available, dental decay remains one of the most common chronic childhood diseases in the United States and around the world. (Passel, 2002) Recently, the World Health Organization Assembly called attention to the significant burden oral disease has maintained in all countries around the world. In response to this issue there has been renewed focus on combating access to oral health care issues. (WHO, 2010) One approach that has been suggested is the utilization of non-dental health professionals in assessing oral health, performing basic preventive steps and referral of highcaries risk children for further care. These non-dental professionals are often in a better position to evaluate children at an early age, are more likely to see poor children early and to provide care for them on a continuing basis when compared to dentists. (Lewis, 2004) However, several barriers have been mentioned in the literature that prevent or deter these non-dental health professionals from taking on a more active role in this access to care issue. Of which, has been a reported lack in oral care education and training for medical care professionals. Additionally, collectively few studies have specifically identified the importance of different suggested influencing factors. (Mouradian, 2005) In our present paper, we reported on three main studies that were conducted in an effort to better understand these barriers. In our first study a 22-item survey was mailed to all licensed pediatricians in the state of Iowa. The main research questions revolved around what factors influence the ability and willingness of Iowa pediatricians' to assess and refer high caries-risk children. In our second and third studies we targeted Saudi medical interns with an electronic educational intervention program over the course of a month. Both a pre-and post-ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This journey has been a personal test of will. Although several obstacles presented themselves along the way, I always believed I would be able to produce a fruitful effort in the end. The tireless support, understanding and enthusiasm of my committee provided the backbone I needed to fulfill this project. I am extremely thankful to all of my committee members, Drs Damiano, Weber-Gasparoni, Murph, Nothwehr and Qian, for sharing their expertise, knowledge and valuable insights that were critical to the successful completion of this study. I would like to thank you all for your patience and guidance throughout this process, it was very much appreciated. My special thanks to all my friends and colleagues in the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry. Finally, I would like to thank my beautiful, loving wife Tahani for her unconditional love and support, and my daughters Jena and Hawra for always putting a smile on my face. Having you all to come home to made getting through the days much easier.
The knowledge and practice of pediatricians in children’s oral health: a scoping review
BMC Oral Health, 2020
Background Dental caries is a significant public health problem and one of the most common chronic conditions affecting children. The potential for the non-dental workforce to improve children’s oral health is well documented. For well over a decade, there have been calls for pediatricians to address children’s oral health, but the incorporation of oral health screening, referral, and oral healthcare in pediatric practice remains underdeveloped. Developing action to strengthen the role of pediatricians’ in children’s oral health requires an understanding of their current knowledge and practice. In this scoping review, we aimed to comprehensively map what is known about the knowledge and practice of pediatricians regarding children’s oral health. Methods Arksey & O’Malley’s five-stage review process was used to comprehensively map studies undertaken on pediatrician’s knowledge and practice regarding children’s oral health. Key search terms were developed and a total of 42 eligible ar...
Creating a New Generation of Pediatric Dentists: A Paradigm Shift in Training
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry has implemented a Health Resources and Services Administration-funded program to prepare dentists for the complex and comprehensive needs of pediatric patients within rapidly changing demographics and a paradigm shift in dentistry. Traditional dental education has focused on how to respond to oral disease, whereas UCLA's program shifts the paradigm to emphasize early assessment, risk-based prevention, and disease management. A holistic approach to dental care that considers social and environmental determinants is used with minimally in-vasive techniques for restorative care. To support this change, pediatric dental residents receive traditional training combined with new didactics, advocacy opportunities, and applied learning experiences at community-based organizations. These new elements teach residents to recognize the causal factors of disease and to identify interventions that promote oral health at the individual, family, community, and policy level. Consequently, they are better prepared to treat a diverse group of patients who historically have faced the greatest burden of disease as well as an increased number of barriers to accessing oral health care; these consist of low-income, minority, and/or pediatric populations including children with special health needs. The program's ultimate goal is for residents to deploy these skills in treating vulnerable populations and to demonstrate greater interest in collaborating with non-dental health providers and community organizations to increase access to dental services in private or public health practice settings.
Journal of Dental Education, 2003
Providing oral health care to rural populations in the United States is a major challenge. Lack of community water fluoridation, dental workforce shortages, and geographical barriers all aggravate oral health and access problems in the largely rural Northwest. Children from low‐income and minority families and children with special needs are at particular risk. Family‐centered disease prevention strategies are needed to reduce oral health disparities in children. Oral health promotion can take place in a primary care practitioner's office, but medical providers often lack relevant training. In this project, dental, medical, and educational faculty at a large academic health center partnered to provide evidence‐based, culturally competent pediatric oral health training to family medicine residents in five community‐based training programs. The curriculum targets children birth to five years and covers dental development, the caries process, dental emergencies, and oral health in ...
Integrating oral health into pediatric nursing practice: Caring for kids where they live
Journal for specialists in pediatric nursing : JSPN, 2015
The purpose was to identify the factors influencing pediatric oral health and describe the Caring for Kids Where They Live program. In North America, the burden of pediatric oral disease is significant. Despite evidence to this effect, oral health is an often-neglected aspect of pediatric nursing care. The Caring for Kids Where They Live program has successfully integrated oral health into pediatric nursing care as evidenced by increased accessibility of health care, pathways for care, and disease prevention. Pediatric nurses can address oral health disparities by integrating an oral health assessment tool as well as interprofessional follow-up and referral processes in practice.