J Dent Educ. 68(7_suppl): 63-70 2004
© 2004 American Dental Education Association
Poster Presentation Abstracts |
Poster Presentation Abstracts
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P1. Osteoporosis Prevention: Michigan Osteoporosis Strategic Plan
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Sandra G. Burns, Ferris State University, USA
This poster presentation will review the Michigan Osteoporosis Strategic Plan. Osteoporosis will continue to be one of our most serious and disabling diseases as we move into the next millennium. Women continue to be 80 percent of the victims. Osteoporosis will become the focus of many health education programs in the future. The Michigan Osteoporosis Strategic Plan is a statewide, multiyear, multichannel, intergenerational, racially and ethnically sensitive public awareness initiative that will provide appropriate education about osteoporosis. The plan was a collaboration of health care professionals from educational, business, and public health settings. The Michigan Osteoporosis Strategic Plan should serve as a model for other groups to begin the challenge of reducing the human and economic burden of osteoporosis and related conditions.
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P2. Views of Mothers on Children’s Oral Health from Two Rural Communities of Puerto Rico: A Focus Group Study
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Lydia M. Lopez del Valle, University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Philip Weinstein, University of Washington School of Dentistry, Seattle, Washington, USA
The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into the beliefs, preferences, and behaviors of women of childbearing age that relate to the pros and cons as well as the decisions they make regarding their dental health and relevant childcare practices. The study specifies feeding and oral health practices common among women of low socioeconomic status in two rural Puerto Rican communities. Twenty-four focus groups with 151 women were conducted. Pregnant women, women with children under twelve months, women with children aged twelve to twenty-four months, women with children aged twenty-four to thirty-six months, women with children in preschool (three to five years old), and women with daughters of childbearing age (grandmothers) were included in the study. Focus group discussions took place in community settings by a trained moderator. The data analysis consisted of a comprehensive content review of participants’ responses from transcribed audiotapes. Results reported that bottle-feeding of children is a common practice in caretakers because of convenience; breast-feeding was not common. There were no differences between sites or for primiparas or multiparas mothers. Mothers believed the earliest non-emergency dental care for their children should be at three years. Many caretakers reported disastrous personal experiences with dentists. Mothers will accept "special medicine" (fluoride) to prevent dental caries if there is no risk to their children. Other related oral health findings were studied, such as preferred reasons for bottle-feeding practice vs. breast-feeding practice, supplementation to milk, perception about baby teeth, introduction to tooth brushing, awareness of early childhood caries, attitudes toward oral health and dental health services, and sources of oral health information. New preventive strategies must be developed as a public oral health policy focusing on the caretaker’s oral health education and motivation and parental guidance on childrearing practices. The data suggest areas for potential community intervention to impact the caretakers’ oral health behavior and the prevalence and incidence of dental caries in children. Supported by NIDCR Grant No. RO1 DE 12628.
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P3. Gender Differences in Student Perception of Senior Citizen Oral Care Priorities
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Marsha A. Pyle and Eleanor P. Stoller, Case Western Reserve University, USA
Previous research has indicated that older patients’ priorities and preferences for oral care may not be considered as dentists formulate treatment plans to present to the patient and that older females have priorities that vary from that of male patients. An important dimension of patient preferences involves gender differences. A survey of second-, third-, and fourth-year students (n=113) at a U.S. school of dentistry compared student perceptions to previously surveyed senior citizen perceptions to determine if male and female students perceived the priorities expressed by female compared to male patients. Seventy-five male and thirty-five female students completed the forty-six-item survey (three did not identify gender). The survey included two sets of twenty-two items, with one set describing a male patient and the other a female patient over the age of sixty-five years. Students ranked the statements about oral health priorities on a five-point Likert-like scale according to how important the items were perceived to be to the respective patient. In nine of twenty-two items, students’ estimates of gender differences varied from the gender differences in a patient sample (p<0.05). Students showed no differences in the gender of patients in response to three items related to pain, but females in the patient sample rated these concerns of greater importance than did male patients. Students also failed to anticipate gender differences in the value of maintaining oral health in back teeth, although female patients rated this item as significantly more important than male patients. In four items related to missing teeth and requiring dentures, along with one pain item, students believed female patients would value the items higher than males, while the patient sample showed no difference in response by gender. There were no significant differences in the responses of male vs. female students to any of the survey items. In conclusion, the data indicate that students’ perception of the priorities of oral care paralleled a senior patient sample in thirteen of twenty-two items. In the items where there was variation between the student perception and the patient sample, the students either failed to perceive items that were valued more highly among female patients or attributed higher ratings to female patients when in fact there were no gender differences in the patient sample. These data underscore the importance of incorporating additional information on gender into geriatric dentistry curriculum that can better sensitize students to the life factors that impact older male and female patients’ perspective on oral care treatments.
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P4. Preventive Program for Improving the Oral Health of Women in Hungary
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Marta Radnai, Szeged University, Dental School, and Mariannas Joo, Szeged University, Pedagogue-Psychology Department, Hungary
A survey was conducted in 1991–92 to compare the caries prevalence in three groups of adults (women and men aged eighteen to forty-seven) who had different exposure to fluoride. The first group of adults (N=205) had continuously lived in a town with 1.1 ppm natural fluoride in the drinking water. The second group (N=213) had been consuming fluoridated salt (200–350 ppm F) between 1966 and 1985. The third, as a control group (N=258), had minimal exposure to fluorides. Caries prevalence was the lowest in the subjects who had been using fluoridated water during their entire life whereas the subjects with minimal fluoride exposure had DMF averages 1.5 to 2.5 times higher. The group with fluoridated salt intake (during the period 1966 to 1985) showed intermediate but consistently lower caries prevalence than the residents of the control group. The DMF index of women and men showed that the caries prevalence in women is much higher than the caries prevalence in men. The reasons can be found in the following circumstances: inadequate prevention programs, difference in life-conducting style, overstressed family and professional expectations, and pregnancy. We need a special prevention program that aims to improve the oral health of women. It is especially important because women are responsible for oral health education at home in the family and at school as well. The program concentrates on the following issues: basic information about the importance of oral hygiene, dietary habits, daily oral hygiene habit formation, raising awareness of the prevention, and the importance of fluorides.
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P5. Dental Health Knowledge of Pregnant Women: A Survey
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Yilda Rivera, Diego Solis, Kathleen Crespo, Nilma Feliciano, and Melba Esquilin, University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry, Puerto Rico
Oral health promotion and education from pregnancy to early infancy are offered in a collaborative program between the Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBG) Clinic of the University Hospital and the University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry. Postdoctoral pediatric dentistry students offer advice and guidance in oral health and fetal needs for normal dental development to women with high-risk pregnancy at the OBG Clinic. This activity is scheduled one day a week during an eight-month period. A survey to evaluate the dental health knowledge of patients at the clinic was administered at the beginning of the program. One hundred three pregnant women were surveyed on the following: knowledge and information on oral hygiene, nutrition, preventive methods, dental development, oral disease, dental treatment during pregnancy, medications possibly affecting fetal dental health, and pre- and postnatal dental care for infants from birth to two years. The results were as follows: 100 percent of subjects surveyed recognized brushing as the most common oral hygiene method; 29 percent used dental floss; 25 percent used dental rinses; 16 percent visited the dentist (25 percent during pregnancy); 58 percent were not aware of pregnancy gingivitis; and 92 percent did not know which medications affect their oral health and fetal development. In terms of infant oral health, 54 percent indicated brushing to be best for cleaning teeth during the first six months, 37 percent used wet towels, and 8 percent oral rinses. For the one-year old, 88 percent used dental brush, 8 percent wet towel, and 4 percent warm salty water. Regarding eruption age of the first primary tooth, 92 percent surveyed estimated eruption between six months and one year, and 8 percent from one to two years. Eighty-two percent were aware of the effects of sugar and baby bottle syndrome, 96 percent were cognizant of the cariogenic effects of sugar in the diet, and 70 percent of the benefits of fluoride. It can be concluded that, in the group surveyed, oral health knowledge is limited, particularly on oral health habits, oral disease, and dental treatment needs during pregnancy. Infancy was not perceived by mothers to be an important period for developing good oral health. This study reinforces the need to provide oral health education to the pregnant women. Postdoctoral pediatric dental residents can be educators in oral health care for this group.
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P6. A Comparative Study of Dental Caries Prevalence in Diabetic Children of Isfahan in Summer 2000
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Pouran Samimi, Azizi Zoratipoor, and Kamyar Fathpour, Dental School of Isfahan Medical Science University, Iran
Laboratory tests on animals have shown a relationship between dental caries and high blood sugar. Diabetic patients are susceptible to periodontal disease and recurrent intraoral abcesses. Xerestomia and enamel hypocalcification and hypoplasia are other problems in these patients. These factors make these patients susceptible to dental caries. There is no exact study in Iran that compares the prevalence of dental caries in normal and diabetic children. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dental caries in type I diabetic patients and make a comparison with normal children. This descriptive-analytic study was achieved in the spring of 2000. Children with no systemic disease (six- to twelve-year-old boys and girls) were selected by cluster method from primary and guidance schools of Isfahan. Also, the diabetic children (six- to twelve-year-old boys and girls) were selected by this method from pediatric sections of hospitals in Isfahan. The number of specimens in each group was 151. The information was obtained through a questionnaire and a checklist. The t-student test was used to analyze the data. The mean DMFT for diabetic group was 4.97±2.76 and 3.91±2.38 for control group (t=3.57, P<0.001). The mean D was 3.63±2.27 for diabetic group and 2.76±2.08 for control group (t=3.46, P<0.001). The mean M was 0.69±1.01 and 0.38±0.81 for diabetic and control groups, respectively (t=2.81, P<0.005). After all, the mean F for diabetic group was 0.65±1.41 and 0.77±1.46 for control group (t=0.72, P<0.472). The differences in mean DMFT, D & M were statistically significant, but the differences in mean F were not significant. The Pierson’s test showed that there is a reverse relationship between the age of beginning of the disease and DMFT: the earlier the disease begins, the greater the DMFT will be. The results also show that the greater the duration of the disease, the greater the DMFT. These results confirm the results of previous studies. Other studies have shown that xerestomia, saliva decrease, and increase of calcium and glucose of saliva PH changes cause more caries. The high prevalence of dental caries in these patients shows the importance of attention to oral hygiene and treatment of caries.
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P7. A Comparative Analysis of Microleakage Between Different Techniques of Restoring Cervical Lesions
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Pouran Samimi, Mostafa Mousavi Nasab, and Kamyar Fathpour, Dental School of Isfahan, Medical Science University, Iran
In recent years, the number of old patients and their remaining teeth has increased, so problems such as cervical lesions (erosion/abrasion lesions) have increased. The prevalence of these lesions is 20 percent. These lesions must be restored with tooth-colored restorations (in order to meet the esthetic demands of women), and composite resins are the material of choice for esthetic restoration of these lesions, but the problem with these restorations is the polymerization shrinkage, which causes marginal leakage. Microleakage causes different problems such as marginal discoloration, loss of esthetics, and pulp necrosis. In order to restore these lesions successfully, special techniques must be used. The acid etch technique introduced by Buonocore has been used to provide retention and marginal seal in enamel margins. But bonding systems and other techniques such as sandwich technique must be used to prevent microleakage in dentin. The purpose of this study was evaluating and comparing the microleakage in tooth/restoration interface with the use of dentin bonding agent and sandwich technique. Forty-four teeth without any lesions were selected and divided into four groups after wedge-shaped cavity preparation. Then they were restored with different systems. Group I was restored with Herculite XR composite resin, XR primer, and XR Bond. Group II was restored with Herculite XR composite resin and scotchbond multipurpose. Group III was restored with a light cure Glass Ionomer (Fuji lining LC) and Herculite XR composite resin (sandwich technique). Group IV was restored with a Glass Ionomer (Fuji II) as a liner and Herculite XR composite resin (Sandwich technique). After restoring in 370c destilled water for twenty-four hours, specimens were polished and thermocycled. Then the teeth were restored in silver nitrate solution (50 percent) as a dye for two hours. They were sectioned longitudinally, and dye penetration was evaluated under steriomicroscopic observation. The data were analyzed with H test (Kruskal-Wallis) and U test (Mann-Whitney). Statistical analysis revealed that there are some differences between these four groups (5 percent). Although no technique could prevent microleakage completely, the best results were observed in Group II. So dentin etching and use of adhesive systems and sandwich technique are effective methods in decreasing microleakage.
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P8. Identification of Barriers During Dental Encounter by Inactive Patients at the UPRSD
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Juanita E. Villamil and Fernando Haddock, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
A decrease in the number of patients requesting treatment is a concern in many dental institutions. Patient’s needs, preferences, and satisfaction with treatment affect recruitment, retention, and compliance. Lay referral is an important factor in patient recruitment. The goal of our study was to identify the barriers encountered by inactivated patients that led them to discontinue treatment. We focused our study on the 469 inactivated patients during the 1999–2000 academic year. Of these 469 patients, 229 completed their treatment during that year, and 250 were inactivated without treatment completion. The barriers considered were grouped according to the following categories: personal reasons, access, and level of satisfaction. These indicators identified some of the principal reasons leading to treatment interruption. A telephone interview survey was conducted using a questionnaire that was designed to gather information regarding the quality of treatment and barriers encountered during treatment. Patient dental records were used to obtain demographic and other information relative to dental care. Patient profile of these two groups showed a significance difference in age (p<0.001). Women overcame barriers encountered and showed the most treatment compliance. The mean age of patients who interrupted treatment before completion was 30.09 years (DS=19.14) as compared to the mean age of 48.85 years (SD=20.50) for patients who did complete treatment. The majority of the sample population (64.4 percent for patients who did not complete treatment and 60.3 percent for completed patients) did not have dental health insurance coverage. The most significant source of information regarding the availability of services at the dental clinic was lay referral by friends (41.2 percent for those inactivated before completion and 32.9 percent for those who did complete treatment). Patients who did not complete treatment said the principal reasons for treatment interruption were deficiencies in patient follow-up (50 percent) and access to our facilities (21.3 percent). On the other hand, patients who did complete treatment said they did stay until the treatment was completed mainly due to satisfaction with treatment (39.7 percent). Both groups reported a high percent of satisfaction with care provided by the students (96.6 percent for patients who did not complete treatment and 98.5 percent for those who did complete) and the attention provided by faculty and staff. Both groups of patients also reported above quality services rendered by the students of the school of dentistry (92.6 percent reported by completed patients and 78.8 percent for patients who interrupted their dental treatment before completion). Recommendations are to improve patient follow-up and establish a more reliable patient appointment system.
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P9. Prenatal Dental Education for Prevention and Intervention of Early Childhood Caries
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Robbin K. Williams and Deborah A. Costello, United States Public Health Service, Oklahoma Area Indian Health Service, USA
The objectives of this project were to educate parents and caregivers of the debilitating effects that Early Childhood Caries (ECC) has on the child’s dentition and craniofacial development and ultimately to decrease the prevalence of ECC in Native American populations with statistically high percentages among Head Start children. A multidisciplinary approach was used to develop the Prenatal Dental Education Program to target new mothers. Dental screenings, dental prophylaxis, and the ECC class provide new mothers with the knowledge and tools needed to prevent ECC. The ECC class is an interactive presentation provided by dental staff, which teaches the prevention of ECC, primary tooth development, sugar consumption in the diet; demonstrates lift the lip technique; and emphasizes infant oral hygiene. It presents the consequences and treatment of ECC with actual cases during operating room treatment. Caries Risk Testing (CRT) is performed to show the presence of mutans streptococci and lactobacillus in saliva. The transmissibility of these two bacteria from mother to infant raises the risk of caries infection. The earlier mutans streptococci are acquired in infancy, the higher the caries risk. Routine dental care is provided to the mothers who participate in the program. The Postnatal Dental Program recalls those patients to evaluate their oral health status, CRT is repeated, and the importance of the Well Baby Clinic is stressed. The Well Baby Clinic provides screenings, education, and fluoride varnish applications as needed to infants ten to eighteen months. Since its inception, our program has screened over 1,400 prenatal women, or 75 percent of all registered new obstetrical patients. Approximately 40 percent of these women have attended our ECC class and received dental treatment. Over 1,200 children up to the age of three have benefited from well baby visits. More than 250 children with early signs of ECC have benefited from fluoride varnishes. Mothers of the children in our well baby clinic who went through the program are significantly more aware and more active in their child’s oral health. This program provides the missing link between obstetrics, pediatrics, and dentistry. It targets the Healthy People 2010 objectives: to increase the access to care/preventive services for children three years old and under, to increase preventive dental services for low-income children up to the age of eighteen, to reduce the dental caries experience in children ages two to four, and to reduce untreated decay in children ages two to four. It is vitally important that we continue with programs that empower women in our community and protect our children from the deadly, preventable disease of ECC.
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P10. Distribution of White Spots After Debanding in Orthodontic Patients in Isfahan, Iran
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Farahnaz Arbabzadeh Zavareh, Dental School of Isfahan Medical Science University, Majid Bouzari, Faculty of Sciences of Isfahan University, Hossein Nasr, Private Practitioner, and Zahra Vadiee, Private Practitioner, Iran
By improvement of orthodontic techniques, the demands for such treatments have been increased especially in women. In spite of their advantages, they may have some side effects such as decalcification and formation of white spots. Fixed orthodontic appliances interfere with removal of bacterial plaque from dental surfaces, and as a result, white spots are produced. For evaluating the amount of white spots and decalcifications in fixed orthodontic treatments, two groups of patients were selected. Group A included fifty new volunteer patients for fixed orthodontic treatments. The buccal surfaces of the first molars in each quadrant were examined for the presence of any white spots. Group B included fifty patients at the end of orthodontic treatments. After debanding of orthodontic appliances (bands), the buccal surfaces of the first molars in each quadrant were examined for the presence of any white spots. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Totally, in patients with orthodontic treatments, the amount of white spots was higher (28 percent). Nineteen percent of the white spots were observed in the maxilla and 36 percent in the mandible. The differences were significant (P<0.05). The results showed that patients with orthodontic bands are at higher risk. Both professional and daily oral hygiene measures were suggested for reducing the cariogenicity of bacterial plaque in these patients.
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P11. Study of DMFT Index in Twelve-Year-Old School Girls and Boys in Sahreza, Iran, in 2000
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Farahnaz Arbabzadeh Zavareh, Dental School of Isfahan Medical Science University, Majid Bouzari, Faculty of Sciences of Isfahan University, and Desiree Hatamosa, Private Practitioner, Iran
The process of developing a health system requires mechanisms for collecting and analyzing health information. For example, the determination of need for dental care programs requires a systematic flow of information between the community and the dental profession. DMFT index provides a wide range of information about oral public health. The aim of our study was to extend information and data on DMFT index in Shahreza city in Iran in 2000. Two hundred twelve-year-old students (100 girls and 100 boys) were examined clinically. For determining oral health behavior, questionnaires were distributed among the students and their parents. T-student, T-paired, ANOVA-one way, and Tuky tests were used for statistical analysis. DT, MT, FT, and DMFT were 5.04±3.67 – 4.31±2.81 (t = 1.580), 0.15±0.36 –0.03±0.17 (t = 1.746), 0.98±1.53 – 0.18±0.67 (t = 4.785), 6.12±3.67 – 4.52±3.05 (t = 2.605) in girls and boys respectively. FT and total DMFT were significantly higher in girls (P<0.01). The difference between DT-FT, DT-MT, and FT-MT in both girls and boys was significant (P<0.01). The influence of income, occupation, and educational background of parents and number of brushings per day, consumption of sugary and healthy food, and dental visits per year were also determined. The difference among income levels (good, moderate, and poor) was significant (P<0.01). In comparison with the other two groups, the poor had the lowest level of DMFT. The occupation and educational background of parents had no significant correlation with DMFT (P<0.05). Fifty-four percent of the children had at least two tooth brushings each day. Thirty-one percent, 56 percent, and 12.5 percent of the children had zero, one, and two dental visits per year respectively. The higher level of DMFT index in girls indicated the less attention of oral and dental health in girls, and as a consequence the higher need for filling of the teeth explained the higher FT in girls. Comparing the three economic areas, since the poor could not afford junk food (sweets, etc.) and mostly consumed dairy products (cheese and yogurt) and bread as daily diet, this group had a lower DMFT. In comparison with WHO standard (year 2000) of three for DMFT, the index was higher in Shahreza. Attention to the correction of fluoride level of drinking water and dental health care especially in girls was suggested.
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P12. Can Time Away from Dentistry End Career Prospects?
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Angela L. Fairclough, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
The term "career" denotes a progressive advancement over a period of time with accompanying added responsibility and status. Occupation refers to skilled employment for which training was required but does not imply further development or promotion. To have a successful career in dentistry, particularly in the hospital or academic worlds, it is almost essential to have a continuous career pathway—one without breaks. This requirement is determined by the male working pattern as defined by the male-dominated institution that dentistry remains. Ambitious females delay having children until after they have established their careers or take minimal time off to maintain continuity and lessen the effects of their break. However, some females choose, or due to circumstance must, take time off from their careers. This study investigates the effect of a career break on career decisions and identifies factors that affect the outcome. It will also examine whether dentistry changes from a career to an occupation. Methodology: questionnaires were posted to females who had applied or attended a "Getting Back to Practice Course" or similar training program in the UK intended for females returning to dentistry after a career break. The questionnaire focused on the career profile pre- and postbreak, length of break, career advice sought or received, and factors affecting career outcome. Results: 135 questionnaires were sent, eighty-seven returned (64 percent), and ten were unusable, leaving the study group of seventy-seven (57 percent). Career profile:
| Number of females before the break: |
| GDP |
CDS |
H |
U |
Other |
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| ft/pt |
ft/pt |
ft/pt |
ft/pt |
ft/pt |
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| 41/2 |
11/6 |
11/1 |
2/0 |
3/0 |
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| Number of females before the break: |
| GDP |
CDS |
H |
U |
Other |
NR |
| ft/pt |
ft/pt |
ft/pt |
ft/pt |
ft/pt |
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| 4/45 |
3/8 |
0/5 |
0/1 |
0/0 |
11 |
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| (Key: GDP=general dental practice; CDS=community dental service; H=hospital; U=university; NR=not returned) |
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All hospital and university posts returned to were staff grade or other non-training grades offering little or no opportunity for career advancement. The length of break was average 6.2 years (range 0.5–19.5). Career advice was: before their break 0, on returning to dentistry 15 sought advice, but 0 discussed career planning or training. Factors affecting career outcome were: flexibility of working hours 70 percent (n=54), location 55 percent (n=42), sympathetic employer 31 percent (n=24), low responsibility 22 percent (n=17), area of expertise 19 percent (n=15). Only one mentioned career development. After a career break, females perceive dentistry less as a career and more as an occupation, one offering flexible hours and low responsibility. They do not seek to reinstate their careers—an important fact that should be investigated further if females are to advance in academic or hospital dentistry.
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P13. Gender Impacts on Socio-Professional Identification: Women Dentists in Bulgaria During the Period of Transition
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Lydia Katrova, Medical University, Faculty of Stomatology, Bulgaria
The feminization of the medical professions represents a global trend for the last decade of the twentieth century. A significant gender distribution change in Bulgaria is consisting of an opposite trend. This phenomenon is occurring within a radically changing social and political environment. The purpose of this study was to show how female dentists in Bulgaria met the challenges of the social and health reforms during the period of transition (last decade of the twentieth century). A field sociological survey was carried out between 1996 and 1997, involving a sample of 842 dentists (12 percent) from the total of 7,129 dentists, providing dental care to 8.5 million people. The questionnaire was designed to give information on dental demography trends, pattern of participation and practice of female dentists, and career development of female dentists. The data had been treated statistically using SPSS package. The distributions by sex and age were analyzed according to length of service and job position, ownership of practice, level of postgraduate professional education, and volume and profile of professional activities. Women comprise 73 percent of all dentists in Bulgaria. Their mean age is under thirty-nine years. Almost all of them started their career as salaried. Before the reforms they were usually given lower-prestige jobs and were paid less compared to men in the public health system. They also were not encouraged to maintain or raise their qualification levels. In return, women dentists while in public service still enjoyed some social assistance in raising their children. Now they are self-employed. Despite these challenges, for the first five years (1991–96), women dentists owned more than 50 percent of the newly opened private practices in Bulgaria. After the introduction of new regulations related to postgraduate studies, training, and qualifying examinations, women dentists showed greater interest in improving their qualifications and better success in obtaining specialty status than men did. Content analysis of the answers to open questions concerning the professional satisfaction and appreciation of dental education showed that women give more generous assessment than do men. We conclude that the dentists in Bulgaria by the late 1990s, with no gender difference, tend to identify themselves as liberal practitioners within the pluralistic model of dental services delivery. The volume and profile of women professional practice and their social and professional mobility are highly competitive despite the growing problem of maternity coverage and funding to reenter the profession.
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P14. Retaining Women Dentists in the Workforce
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Wendy McCombes, NHS Education, Scotland
Against a background of rising numbers of young women entering the profession (over 60 percent of Scottish dental undergraduates are female), the Chief Dental Officer for Scotland established a working group to consider retaining and retraining women dentists and members of the Professions Complementary to Dentistry (PCDs) in the workforce. The working group, which included thirteen (male and female) academic dentists, hospital dentists, general dental practitioners, community dentists, and PCDs, investigated the issues involved in retraining dentists and PCDs in the Scottish dental workforce and retraining dentists after a career break. Subgroups researched and reported on different areas of retaining and retraining and then submitted findings and conclusions to the whole workgroup, which produced recommendations. The workgroup found the issues relating to retaining and retraining dentists and PCDs in the workforce were not gender-specific or necessarily age-related. An emerging trend amongst young dentists was that of a reluctance to work full-time and make the commitment to become practice owners or team leaders. In a time of changing professional and social aspirations, Less Than Full Time (LTFT) dentists and CPDs will play an increasingly important role in dental service provision in Scotland. Many factors were identified that currently act as disincentives to LTFT work. Lack of adequate childcare, lack of flexible training pathways, financial disincentives to LTFT work (such as an earnings threshold that precluded LTFT workers from accessing CPD), qualification for maternity benefits, audit funding, and pension anomalies were all additional burdens that LTFT workers bore. In addition, relatively high professional fees, such as those of the General Dental Council, British Dental Association, and Royal Colleges, acted as further disincentives. The following recommendations were made: the appointment of a flexible training adviser; the provision of part-time posts and flexible training pathways; incentives to dental practices and NHS Trusts to promote the concept of LTFT work; all NHS workplaces to provide affordable child care facilities; and the removal of financial disincentives and pro rata reductions in professional fees for LTFT workers. The group recommended a Dental Retainer Scheme be established for dentists with care commitments or over the age of fifty-five. Approved practices would be used, with the principals acting as mentor and receiving a grant. The retainee would be salaried and professional fees would be paid. Attendance at appropriate CPD activities would be compulsory, as would clinical audit.
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P15. Responding to the Changing Labor Market: The Need for Baccalaureate Dental Hygiene Education
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Janice F.L. Pimlott, University of Alberta, Canada
To prepare dental hygiene graduates for both the rapidly changing dental hygiene profession and the labor market, baccalaureate education has become a necessity. Recognizing this need, the University of Alberta initiated the implementation of a baccalaureate program. In the past decade, government and educators have addressed the value and necessity of higher education in the current knowledge-based world. Work trends show that professions are undergoing rapid and continuous change and that, during the course of a career, many individuals will change the focus and direction of their careers several times. A recent Government of Canada labor report identified that with higher levels of education Canadians are better prepared to face the turbulent realities of the current labor market. In 1993, the University of Alberta equated the acquisition of a baccalaureate degree to freedom: "Very few things in life provide the personal freedom that education does. The better educated you are, the more freedom you have in terms of the personal decisions affecting your life. It is exactly this form of freedom that a university degree provides." Using this philosophy as the cornerstone, the pursuit of dental hygiene baccalaureate education at the University of Alberta began. Through partnerships and collaborations between faculty and the professional association, students, parents, and grassroot dental hygiene professionals, the first four-year dental hygiene baccalaureate program in Canada was successfully implemented. This poster will present an outline of the phases and strategies of the University of Alberta baccalaureate implementation process. The model of baccalaureate education at the University of Alberta will also be presented highlighting how the advanced curriculum is preparing dental hygiene graduates for the rapidly changing labor market.
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P16. Evaluating Gender-Based Differences in Patient Perception of Women Dentists and Other Dental Health Professionals
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Emrey Moskowitz-Porath and Paula K. Friedman, Boston University School of Dental Medicine, USA
In the once male-dominated dental profession, the number of women dentists entering the workforce has increased. This increase has occurred over the past thirty years in the United States and is projected to continue. The first purpose of this study was to examine the perception of women dentists by an educated, multicultural urban sample of patients. The second purpose was to evaluate whether these patients had a gender stereotypical view of allied dental personnel. The study was conducted at Boston University School of Dental Medicine (BUSDM) over a two-month period in early 2000. The study design was cross-sectional, using a convenience sample, employing a survey instrument developed by the investigator. Study participants were patients treated by AEGD residents and by members of the BUSDM faculty practice. Most participants were BU employees enrolled in the BU-sponsored faculty/staff dental insurance plan. The response rate was 62.5 percent (N=521). Responses to the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics, which included frequency distribution, percentages, and chi square analysis for categorical data comparison. The results of this study showed that, in the year 2000, most dental patients perceive women dentists to be as competent and professional as their male counterparts. Over 80 percent of respondents associated the following characteristics with dentists regardless of gender: competent, courteous, consistent, confident, provides timely treatment, thorough, respectful, and accessible. However, where there was a gender-based difference in patient perception, gentleness was the characteristic on which women dentists rated much higher than men. Women dentists were also perceived by both male and female respondents as more patient-centered, sensitive to the needs of others, communicative, likely to ask about family, and possessing better listening skills than male dentists. There were some differences in perception based on patient ethnicity. More Hispanic respondents perceived female dentists to be competent, gentle, and cheerful. Asian respondents perceived female dentists to be more patient-centered. Of the dental professions, where gender differences were indicated, more patients perceived women to be more competent as hygienists, de
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