Clinical Assistant Professor UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry
Participants should be aware of the following financial/non-financial relationships: . Rochisha Singh Marwaha, BDS, MPH: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Magda A. de la Torre, RDH, MPH: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. William D Hendricson, MS, MA: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Rosalie P. Aguilar, PhD, MS: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Jeffery Hicks, DDS: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Suman N Challa, BDS, MSPH: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Abstract: Objective: To enhance Primary Care Dentistry Residents' (PCDRs) capacity to confidently incorporate high-priority primary care skills into oral health care for rural populations.
Methods: During an education workshop for residents, an expert faculty team conducted seminars on primary care skills pertinent to rural health including obesity, vaping, opioid and tobacco counseling, dental trauma management, recognition and reporting of physical abuse in adults and children, and assessment of nutritional deficits. An online survey was administered to 26 PCDRs before and after the workshop to assess changes in confidence, intention to incorporate targeted primary care skills into clinical practice, and elicit residents’ perception of program quality. Pre to post changes in confidence and intentions were analyzed by two-tailed t-tests with significance at 0.05.
Results: 96% of 26 PCDRs completed pre and post-assessments using a 5-point Likert scale format with the following response range and point values: Strongly Disagree (1), Somewhat Disagree (2) Neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Somewhat Agree (4) and Strongly Agree (5). PCDRs’ confidence ratings for targeted primary care skills increased significantly from 3.53 on the pre-assessment to 4.43 after training. PCDRs’ pre and post intentions to use primary care skills increased significantly from 4.06 to 4.43. PCDRs’ evaluation of the workshop across 5 quality dimensions averaged 4.45, also measured with a 5-point Likert scale.
Conclusion: A workshop based on PCDRs’ perceptions of training needs to enhance dental care for rural communities was well received by residents and resulted in confidence and implementation intention enhancements.
Source of Funding: “This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3.25 million with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.”
