J Dent Educ. 70(11_suppl): 62-70 2006
© 2006 American Dental Education Association
Poster Presentation Abstracts |
Poster Presentation Abstracts
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P1. Evaluation of Technical Errors Using Rectangular and Round Collimators
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Asieh Zamaninaser, Dental School of Isfahan, Medical Sciences University, Iran
Purpose: To evaluate technical errors using rectangular and round collimators. One of the methods of a patient’s dose reduction is using a rectangular collimator. In this study we tried to evaluate technical errors using rectangular and round collimators.
Two hundred and fifty radiographs were prepared from patients referred to the Radiology Department of Isfahan Dental School and Afzal Clinic using the bisecting angle technique. Radiography was taken using 125 rectangular collimators and 125 round collimators. Radiographic errors including concut and overlap were evaluated in these two groups. Data were submitted for statistical analysis with a chi square test. No significant difference existed in technical errors in the two groups. Because no significant differences existed in technical errors using rectangular and round collimators, we suggest using the rectangular collimator that is added at the end of the rounded localizator.
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P2. Creating New Faculty Takes the Whole University
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Sandra George Burns, Ferris State University, United States
Purpose: To examine how to find qualified dental hygiene faculty and fill future needs for them.
The current challenge to find qualified dental hygiene faculty has many educational institutions wondering how they will fill the need in the future. To meet accreditation standards, dental hygiene programs are required to demonstrate that their faculty members are qualified by having advanced degrees and appropriate experience in the disciplines and content areas that they teach. Many baccalaureate and master’s degree programs in dental hygiene have been closed in recent years, leaving a smaller pool of qualified applicants for faculty positions. At the same time, more than seventy-five new associate degree educational programs in dental hygiene have been created. This has created a need to recruit clinically experienced dental hygiene faculty who have a minimum of a baccalaureate degree to teach in dental hygiene programs. This has become difficult as the entry level for the majority of dental hygiene professionals remains only an associate degree. The Ferris State University Dental Hygiene Program has developed a mentoring program to encourage clinical dental hygienists to return to the educational setting. Many clinical dental hygienists are interested but are hesitant to make the leap. A variety of in-service and mentoring programs were developed to help clinical dental hygienists enter the education arena as clinical staff. Incentives were given for clinical staff to continue their education in baccalaureate and master’s level programs. The program has allowed a pool of qualified candidates to be available when faculty positions become available.
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P3. Faculty Satisfaction/Perceptions of the Working Environment
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Mary Lynn Froeschle, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry; Jeanne C. Sinkford, American Dental Education Association, United States
Purpose: To evaluate the working environment to identify areas where improvements could increase career productivity and satisfaction.
An online survey about departmental structure and individual faculty work patterns and behavior was sent to the deans of fifty-four U.S. dental schools to disseminate. Additional follow-up surveys were also sent electronically. Thirty-eight schools (70 percent) and 476 individual faculty members responded. The ratio of female to male responders was similar to the ratio in dental education. The responses for faculty planning to remain in academia, short- and long-term, are shown in Tables 1
and 2.
Most faculty members indicate their intention of remaining in academia. Slightly more male than female faculty suggest leaving dental education, with approximately one-third of male associate and full professors considering leaving academia within eight years. When asked to list the positive aspects of the work environment, the most common responses were supportive chair or administration, great working relationships with colleagues, and interactions with students. When asked to list the negative aspects, the most common responses were low salary, long hours, and heavy workload. Faculty identified relationships with others as the most positive aspect of academia, while the negative aspects relate more to job context. These results are similar to other studies in organizational management. Both positive aspects of job satisfaction and negative factors that impede productivity need to be analyzed within the framework of each institution to enact change for career enrichment.
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P4. Community Service Learning in Dentistry: Gender Differences in Outcome Evaluations
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R. Inglehart, R. Bagramian, E. Pakula, L. Tedesco, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, United States
Purpose: To explore how male and female dentists who participated in a volunteer community service program serving migrant workers and their families while in dental school evaluate this experience.
Starting in 1970, dental students at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry could volunteer to provide dental services for migrant worker children and their families during a two-week community service program during the summer months. This activity took place after the students finished their junior year. The objectives of this study are to explore whether male and female former participants of this community service activity differ in their evaluations of this program’s outcomes once they are practicing dentists. Data were collected from 297 practicing dentists (188 male and 109 female; the average age of male participants was 41.19 years, and the average age of female participants was 38.95 years) who participated in the program between 1970 and 1998. The data showed that women dentists agreed more strongly with statements concerning their current professional life such as "I like the dental profession because I want to treat patients" and "I like working in a dental team" than did their male colleagues (answer scale 1=disagree strongly to 5=agree strongly; female mean: 4.45/4.41 vs. male mean: 4.16/4.15; p=.01/p=.018). In addition, women respondents agreed more strongly with statements evaluating program outcomes such as "gaining insight into barriers to oral health care experienced by others" (4.39 vs. 4.15; p=.03), "demonstrating how I can make a positive difference on public issues" (4.31 vs. 3.86; p=.000), and "offering opportunities to collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds and interests" (4.20 vs. 3.92; p=.012). Overall, more women than men indicated that the community service activity influenced their sense of civic responsibility and awareness of cultural issues. Community service programs like this two-week summer program have the potential to affect positively students’ professional considerations. In particular, the data point to the motivating force that these programs can have on directing women dentists to take on more public responsibilities and actions in their communities.
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P5. The Enid A. Neidle Program: A Career Development Model
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Jeanne Sinkford, Richard Valachovic, American Dental Education Association, United States; Susan Silverton, Laurentian University, Canada
Purpose: In response to the upward trend of women faculty, ADEA through a partnership with Pfizer Inc. instituted the Enid A. Neidle Fellowship Program (EANP) for women dental faculty in 1994. Although the program was initially designed for senior women faculty, the focus shifted to junior faculty early in its implementation to provide an opportunity for the development of women faculty earlier in their careers. The EANP gives women faculty an opportunity to spend a three-month period at the ADEA headquarters in Washington, DC. EANP fellows have the opportunity to use ADEA resources to focus on gender-related issues that would benefit their institution, ADEA, and their personal interests and career advancement.
Women constituted 29 percent of the full-time faculty in U.S. dental schools in 2005. This percentage reflects a significant increase from the 20 percent that existed in 1994. It also reflects the trend of increases seen in undergraduate women first-year dental school enrollment (now 42 percent) and postdoctoral women enrollment (now 34 percent). In the United States, women are now perceived as critical components of the future dental faculty workforce across disciplines. The EANP program has admitted one fellow per year for the past eleven years. Candidates are required to submit a project draft that is relevant to the program objectives and their personal interests. The candidate and proposed projects are reviewed using five selection criteria: 1) merit of proposed project; 2) proficiency of proposed project; 3) applicant’s demonstrated expertise in proposed area; 4) applicant’s ability to meet program requirements; and 5) apparent benefits to the applicant, applicant’s institution, ADEA, and ADEA membership. A survey of the fellows was conducted to determine the perceived value of the program to their career trajectories. This report includes the aggregate outcomes of survey responses in the personal development and career enhancement of the fellows. Mentorship and resource allocation were perceived as major EANP components. Time spent away from academic institutions was seen as both a positive and negative factor. Feedback has contributed to a program that meets the individual needs and expectations of the candidates.
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P6. Health of Female Dentists in the United States
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Carol Weller, Jon Ruesch, Linda Keating, Chakwan Siew, Karen Schaid Wagner, American Dental Association, United States
Purpose: To examine recent health statistics of U.S. dentists to assess the circumstances involving these assumptions.
In the past, dentists have been presumed to have a disproportionately large incidence of physical and mental health conditions. Dental literature sometimes associates alcoholism, suicide, hypertension, and high levels of stress with a career in dentistry. Female dentists are the focus of this presentation. They are compared to male dentists, all women in the United States, and females in comparable socioeconomic groups. Data is taken from three independent studies conducted by the American Dental Association’s Survey Center. The majority of health statistics come from the 2003 Dentist Well-Being Survey. Blood pressure and weight data are assessed annually in the Health Screening Program. Smoking habits are collected from the Oral Cancer Seminar Study. Findings are compared to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health. On average, female dentists engage in about 3.9 hours of exercise per week, while male dentists exercise 5.2 hours per week; however, female dentists are less likely to be overweight or obese or have hypertension, elevated cholesterol, or heart disease than are male dentists. This cannot be said of Americans in general. American women are just as likely to be overweight and have high cholesterol and high blood pressure as are men in the United States. While about two-thirds of Americans are overweight, fewer then one-third of female dentists are overweight. Only 2.2 percent of female dentists reported that they have been diagnosed with alcohol abuse. Similar to all women in the United States, female dentists are more likely to experience mental health conditions than are males. A total of 14.1 percent of female dentists and 10.9 percent of male dentists have been diagnosed with depression, while about 12.5 percent of American females and 6.6 percent of American males have depression. Female dentists are physically healthier than most females in the United States. Female dentists are just as likely, however, to experience a mental health condition as any woman is. Similar to other health care professionals, female dentists are sometimes held to a higher standard than is the general population. Since dentists are considered to be role models by their patients, dental organizations and researchers should help promote dentists’ healthy lifestyle.
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P7. Psychosocial Factors Associated with Pain in Outpatients with Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD)
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D. Rodriguez, L. Buenaver, R. Edwards, M. Smith, E. Grace, S. Raja, J. Haythornthwaite, University of Maryland, United States
Purpose: To examine the relationship between catastrophizing and two important dimensions of pain.
Pain is the primary presenting complaint in patients with TMJD. Literature documents relationships between pain and psychosocial factors, such as stress and negative mood. New theories of pain-coping strategies conceptualize catastrophizing as a coping strategy that engages the social-interpersonal environment in helping the individual cope with pain. Some research indicates that individuals high on catastrophizing show more pain behaviors in the presence of another person. We examined the relationship between catastrophizing and two important dimensions of pain: pain reported during daily life and pain reported during a painful dental examination that included palpation of masticatory muscles (mast), neck muscles (neck), and head muscles (head). Individuals (N=71; 24 percent men) were screened for participation in a clinical trial comparing the effects of nortriptyline and cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing pain due to TMJD. Sex differences were observed on mast and neck pain but not head pain. Surprisingly, no sex differences were observed on pain during daily life or on catastrophizing. Among the female patients (N=54), multivariate analyses examining correlates of pain during daily life revealed only an effect of educational level (p<.01), with lower education being associated with higher pain scores. Age, depression, and catastrophizing were not associated with pain during daily life. Multivariate analyses of mast pain indicated effects of age (p<.05) and pain during daily life (p<.05), with younger age and higher pain associated with greater mast pain. No effects of education, depression, or catastrophizing were observed. Multivariate analyses of head pain indicated effects of education (p<.05) and a tendency for pain during daily life (p=.08), with lower education and higher pain associated with greater head pain. No effects of age, depression, or catastrophizing were observed on head pain, and no factors correlated with neck pain. The lack of relationship in females between catastrophizing and pain reported during a painful dental examination does not support recent conceptualizations of catastrophizing as a pain-coping strategy associated with greater pain behavior in social contexts. Further work will need to investigate whether these results are specific to TMJD patients or the social context of the dental examination. The consistent relationship between educational level and report of pain—either in daily life or on dental examination—also deserves further scrutiny, as this common finding in other chronically painful conditions is not well understood.
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P8. Healthy Smiles, Healthy Lifestyles: A Prevention Program for Teen Mothers
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Nilsa Toledo, Wendy Hupp, Zulima Muñoz, Nova Southeastern University, United States
Purposes: To 1) assess baseline parameters of general and oral health status such as psychosocial, medical (birthweight, prematurity, nutritional habits), dental (tobacco use, marijuana use, dental caries index, periodontal disease), and demographics; 2) develop a prevention program to include smoking cessation, nutritional guidance, early childhood caries prevention and counseling, empowerment, and promotion of healthy lifestyles; and 3) assess outcomes in one year using the same parameters used at baseline.
The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancies among developed countries worldwide. One million teens become pregnant annually, and at least 29.6 percent of them smoke tobacco. Since 1994, smoking rates among pregnant adolescents have increased and are greater than among adults. Recent studies show that approximately 26 percent of pregnant girls up to the age of nineteen smoke during pregnancy, and teens who were early smokers were three times more likely to use tobacco and marijuana, drop out of school, and experience early pregnancy and parenthood by grade twelve. On the other hand, smoking, alcohol consumption and abuse, and the presence of periodontal disease during pregnancy have been shown to contribute to adverse birth outcomes such as low-birthweight and prematurity. The Broward County Public School Board has addressed the escalating rates of teen pregnancies and school dropouts in South Florida by providing a specialized educational setting to accommodate teen mothers and their children in the same school. An all-women interdisciplinary group of physicians and dentists from the Health Professions Division of Nova Southeastern University will carry out the proposed Prevention Program for Teen Mothers, since same-gender role modeling and empathy are key to the patient-doctor relationship and compliance. Seventy-two teen mothers (twelve to twenty years of age) and their children will be enrolled.
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P9. Study of Panoramic Errors
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Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, Isfahan Dental School, Iran
Purpose: To evaluate technical errors in panoramic radiography.
The use of panoramic radiography in general dental practice has shown remarkable development during the past twenty years. The quality of panoramic radiography is susceptible to some distinct errors. When they occur, the diagnostic value of radiographs will decrease. Understanding and preventing errors prevent retake and patient overdose. Our study is descriptive, and the sample is 220 panoramic radiographs chosen randomly from the archive of the dental faculty of Isfahan University. Errors we evaluate include loading the cassette, setting exposure factors, removing jewelry, using a lead apron, biting on a rod, adjusting the chin tilt, closing the side guides, standing upright, swallowing, placing the tongue in the roof of the mouth and holding still, and processing and uniting the side. The frequency percentages of errors are: loading the cassette, 3.2 percent; setting exposure factors, 18.6 percent; removing jewelry and using a lead apron, 0.5 percent; biting on a rod, 33.6 percent; adjusting the chin tilt, 21.4 percent; closing the side guides, 11.4 percent; standing upright, 12.3 percent; swallowing, 54.6 percent; placing the tongue in roof of mouth and holding still, 13.2 percent; and processing and uniting the side, 21.4 percent.
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P10. Maxillary Canine Impaction: Identified Early with Panoramic Radiographs
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Mahnaz Sheikhi, Mansour Dakhilalian, Isfahan Medical University, Iran
Purpose: To develop a reliable method of maxillary canine impaction identified early based on a panoramic radiograph.
A total of sixty-four mixed dentition panoramic radiographs were inspected belonging to two groups of patients with impacted and nonimpacted canines. The two groups included eighty-eight nonimpacted and forty impacted canines. For predicting canine impaction in panoramic radiographs, two indexes were inspected: 1) the erupted lateral teeth were divided into zones from four to one in mesiodistal dimension, thereby identifying the unerupted permanent canines’ cusp tip location related to the erupted permanent lateral; and 2) the internal angle between the long axis of the unerupted canine and a horizontal line between the most superior point to the condyles was measured. All nonimpacted teeth were found in sectors I and II: 69.3 percent in sector I and 30.7 percent in sector II. Of the impacted teeth, 17.5 percent were found in sector I, 42.5 percent in sector II, 27.5 percent in sector III, and 12.5 percent in sector IV. The mean angle for nonimpacted teeth was 74.72º and for impacted teeth was 67.12º. The location of the canine cusp tip in panoramic radiographs is substantially predictive in most mesial sectors, but often the angle of the canine is worthless in predicting probable impaction, and the probabilities of predicting impaction are much the same, whether or not angulation is considered.
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P11. The Effect of Gender on Ethical Issues in Dentistry
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Jane P. Casada, Janice Butters, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, United States
Purpose: To analyze discussion questions (related to ethical issues in dentistry) completed during the past five years by senior dental students enrolled in an ethics course to detect changes in response categories over time as well as differences in response categories by gender.
Responses to open-ended questions were collapsed into categorized data. Data was then analyzed and compared using descriptive statistical procedures. The results of the analysis of senior dental students’ responses to current ethical issues in dentistry show a shift over time by gender and point to emerging practice trends. The results of this study are of interest to dental educators to learn how male and female dental students view and would manage ethical issues that they will face in their dentistry careers.
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P12. Dental Hygienists as Change Agents and Social Advocates
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Eunice M. Edgington, Janice F. Pimlott, University of Alberta, Canada
Purpose: To explore the key trends in society that make an impact on the future of oral health care and to outline the curriculum framework for teaching competencies in social advocacy and change management.
More than twenty years ago, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association conducted a comprehensive review of the roles of dental hygienists. This review articulated the multiple roles of the dental hygienist as clinician, educator, researcher, consumer advocate, and change agent. This definition has been broadly accepted around the world. Although dental hygiene educators have been charged with the task of preparing students for these roles, little attention has been given to the development of curricula for the role of dental hygienists as change agents and advocates. Perhaps this is reflected in the fact that dental hygienists have not traditionally been active advocates for responding and guiding change. Advocacy has been described as a set of skills to shift public opinion and mobilize needed resources to support an issue and is an important strategy for improving health, reducing disease, and strengthening communities. In our complex society of globalization and changing demographics, advocacy must be considered an integral part of every profession regardless of the role or work setting. A move toward a mix of traditional and nontraditional health delivery systems will require a greater focus on interdisciplinary approaches. If dental hygienists are to be considered a vital team member, they must acquire the skills that will enable them to act as change agents and social advocates. The Dental Hygiene Program at the University of Alberta has developed an innovative course to increase students’ awareness of current global health issues and processes of social advocacy. Students are guided through a framework for effecting change by developing advocacy plans. By working through a guided process, students learn how to form coalitions, identify capacity, and use evidence to support an advocacy initiative.
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P13. Canal Length Measurement in Single-Rooted Teeth by RVG and Conventional Parallel Radiography
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Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, Abbas Ali Khademi, Naser Nasr, Isfahan Dentistry Faculty, Iran
Purpose: Radiographic techniques play a significant role in dentistry. Despite their developments, radiographic machines have some problems in determining root canal length. In recent years, the RVG system has changed dental radiology. This research compares the canal length of teeth using two techniques: RVG and conventional parallel radiography.
In this study, sixty-five single-rooted teeth were used. The canal length was first determined visually in vitro. Measurements were then carried out by the RVG system and the parallel periapical technique. The means of calculated lengths were compared in three couples using statistical t-student, ANOVA, and Duncan’s tests. The results showed that the mean canal length in conventional, parallel periapical, and RVG methods are 21.14, 21.60, and 22.19, respectively. According to the ANOVA test, a significant difference existed in canal length between the real length and periapical radiography as well as between the real length and RVG, but no significant difference existed between periapical radiography and RVG. No difference was found between the two techniques, and the accuracy of both techniques appeared to be the same. Because of advantages of RVG, however, it is much preferred to other systems.
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P14. Evaluating Gender-Based Differences: In-Patient Perception of Women Dentists and Other Dental Health Professionals
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Emrey Moskowitz-Porath, Boston University School of Dental Medicine, United States
Purpose: In the once male-dominated dental profession, the number of women dentists entering the workforce has increased during 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) during a two-month period in early 2000. The study design was cross-sectional, using a convenience sample and employing a survey instrument developed by the investigator. Study participants were patients treated by Advanced Education in General Dentistry residents and members of the BUSDM faculty practice. 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 perceived women dentists to be as competent and professional as their male counterparts. More than 80 percent of respondents associated the following characteristics with dentists regardless of gender: competence, courtesy, consistence, confidence, timely treatment, thoroughness, respectfulness, and accessibility. There was one gender-based difference in patient perception: gentleness was the characteristic on which women dentists rated much higher than men. More than 70 percent of the patients reported that they felt comfortable with either a male or a female dentist treating their dental needs. 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 were male dentists. Some differences in perception were 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, dental assistants, and receptionists. Results from the survey seem to indicate that women dentists have achieved a high degree of patient acceptance.
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P15. Collaboration, Cooperation, and Relational Practice in Advancing Women and Academic Health Centers
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Deidra A. Lyngard, Page S. Morahan, Rosalyn C. Richman, Victoria C. Odhner, Drexel University, United States
Purpose: Despite the growing numbers of women in the workforce, men’s ways of relating and pursuing business objectives continue to dominate in today’s business culture. There is little systematic recognition of women’s relational skills, which are distinguished by a greater emphasis on cooperation and collaboration and attention to people’s emotional and intellectual dimensions. Although these relational skills have proven just as effective (or more so, according to some studies by the Center for Creative Leadership) as leadership tools in motivating people and achieving business goals, they have not yet garnered the visibility or credibility of more traditional workplace strategies. Health care is not immune from these issues. Academic health centers (AHCs) are at risk of losing some of their best and brightest faculty if they do not redefine themselves in a way that embraces and respects the approaches of both genders. By doing so, AHCs can ensure more equitable progress and fulfillment for all while energizing their institutions.
The Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women encourages its participants to become harbingers of change by modeling ways of integrating relational skills into the workplace. The ELAM curriculum incorporates a variety of learning activities in which participants are exposed to the foundations of small group work. The personal leadership development component of the program helps participants build critical relational skills. In its external relationships with funders, graduates, faculty, AHCs, and other institutional sponsors, ELAM emphasizes mutual empowerment, reciprocity, and collective achievement. These strategies have enabled ELAM fellows and the program itself to build and sustain important relationships throughout many years and to benefit from a vital network of resources. The cooperative strategies modeled and encouraged by ELAM have worked to create a climate favorable to alliance building among the 375 women participants who represent some 45 percent of dental schools and 80 percent of medical schools in the United States. By promoting greater exposure to collaboration, cooperation, and relational practices, ELAM and its program graduates are helping to foster acceptance and speed adoption of these modalities in the workplace. Experience indicates that those who have successful experiences with these approaches are more likely to embrace them in their own practice.
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P1. evaluation of technical...
P2. creating new faculty...
