Registered Dental Hygienists' Perceived Preparedness on Treating Patients with Special Health Care Needs...American Dental Hygienists' Association Annual Conference, June 18-20, 2021, Phoenix, Arizona.
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Purpose: Current census data shows a growth in the special needs population and dental hygienists may not be adequately prepared to treat this population. The purpose of this study was to examine dental hygienists' perceived preparedness when treating the patients with special health care needs SHCN) and how it relates to their dental hygiene (DH) education. Methods: Paper surveys were mailed to a random sample of 1,036 licensed dental hygienists in Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Results: A total of 181 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 17.5%. Approximately 69% of respondents indicated that they felt their education only somewhat prepared them or did not prepare them to treat patients with SHCN. Respondents indicated that their clinical training on patients with SHCN was more beneficial than didactic course content in improving their confidence and comfort for working with this population. Results of this study also indicated a significant relationship (p=0.003) between the time spent on the subject of patients with SHCN during DH education and the participant's perception of how well their DH education prepared them. Conclusion: Results suggest that dental hygienists agreed there should be more education on the patients with SHCN. Inclusion of a mandatory, annual continuing education course on the patients with SHCN may be beneficial for all dental hygienists. The addition of such a requirement may increase dental hygienist's comfort level and in turn, increase their willingness to treat patients with SHCN in their dental practice.
