Date of Award

Spring 2020

Rights

Access is available to all users

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS) in Dental Hygiene

Department

Dental Hygiene

Abstract

Purpose: Interprofessional collaboration can help prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes related to poor oral health. This study was conducted to see if an educational module provided by a dental hygienist (DH) could increase the knowledge and confidence of physician assistant (PA) students with preventive oral care for the pregnant patient.

Methods: A one group mixed-method approach was used in this research. Pregnancy and oral health knowledge were assessed using a 9-item pretest and posttest survey. Participants completed the pretest, were presented an educational module, and were asked to complete an immediate posttest. A second posttest was sent via e-mail to the participants three weeks after the educational module concluded. Pretest and first posttest answers were compared for statistical significance. The first posttest and second posttest were compared for participants’ knowledge retention.

Results: A total of (N=54) participants were included in the research study. The mean posttest score was statistically significantly higher than the mean pretest score (p < 0.001). The results from the pretest and first posttest show a statistically significant increase in knowledge. There was also a slight increase from 4.16 (SD= 0.51) to 4.22 (SD=0.47) in mean scores from the first posttest to the second posttest indicating knowledge retention.

Conclusion: A pregnancy and oral health care educational module is an effective method to increase knowledge and confidence for PA students.

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Redwine_subform.pdf (206 kB)
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