Publication date: Aug 06, 2024
This study examined whether pediatric dentists who participated in a pediatric dental residency program focusing on disease prevention and management training and screening for social determinants of health (SDOH) were applying these principles to their professional practice upon graduation. Using a cross-sectional study design, a one-time-only online survey was disseminated to 75 pediatric dentists who graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles’s training program between 2012 and 2022. The 21-item survey included questions on demographics, patient population characteristics, and application of preventive dentistry and SDOH to their professional practice. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to assess survey items. The survey response rate was 64%. Over two-thirds (67%) of alumni reported accepting Medicaid, 34% saw patients in a medically underserved area and all reported seeing children with special needs in their practice. Strategies used to address SDOH in their practice included providing anticipatory guidance (98%) and educating families on oral disease prevention and screening for SDOH (96%). Alumni accepting patients with Medicaid/public health insurance were more likely to address SDOH in their practice, such as assisting patients with filling out Medicaid paperwork (p
Concepts | Keywords |
---|---|
California | dental education |
Dentists | early childhood caries |
Graduation | medical‐dental integration |
Pediatric | oral health disparities |
Underserved | underserved populations |
Semantics
Type | Source | Name |
---|---|---|
disease | MESH | oral health |