JDE
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Dent Educ. 71(9): 1133-1144 2007
© 2007 American Dental Education Association
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kanjirath, P. P.
Right arrow Articles by Inglehart, M. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kanjirath, P. P.
Right arrow Articles by Inglehart, M. R.

Milieu in Dental School and Practice

Treating Patients with Herpes Simplex Virus Infections: Dental and Dental Hygiene Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Professional Behavior

Preetha P. Kanjirath, B.D.S., M.D.S., M.S.; Mathilde C. Peters, D.M.D., Ph.D.; Marita Rohr Inglehart, Dr. phil. habil.

Key words: herpes simplex virus infections, herpes labialis, cold sores, dental students, dental hygiene students, health care practices, professional behavior, dental education, dental hygiene education, infectious diseases, communicable diseases

Submitted for publication 02/26/07; accepted 05/24/07

Dental and dental hygiene students frequently interact with patients with herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, often simply referred to as cold sores. The objectives of this study were to assess dental and dental hygiene students’ knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior concerning the treatment of patients with HSV infections and to investigate the relationships among knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior. Questionnaire data were collected from 337 dental and seventy-three dental hygiene students at regularly scheduled classes. Dental and dental hygiene students did not differ in their overall knowledge concerning HSV infections. Dental hygiene students were more apprehensive about treating patients with these infections, but used more appropriate professional behavior compared to dental students. Dental students’ knowledge and appropriateness of professional behavior increased over the course of their education. Overall, it was found that an increase in student knowledge was associated with increased apprehension related to treating these patients. However, the more apprehensive they were, the more they engaged in appropriate professional behavior. Educating future health care providers about the treatment of patients with infectious and communicable diseases can potentially increase the students’ apprehension/negative attitudes concerning providing care, while at the same time increasing appropriate professional behavior during their education. Addressing students’ apprehensions might be a crucial moderator that will determine whether they will provide the best possible care for these patients in their future professional lives.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
P. P. Kanjirath, A. E. Coplen, J. C. Chapman, M. C. Peters, and M. R. Inglehart
Effectiveness of Gloves and Infection Control in Dentistry: Student and Provider Perspectives
J Dent Educ., May 1, 2009; 73(5): 571 - 580.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2007 by the American Dental Education Association.