Assessing dental hygienists’ confidence in providing care to autistic dental patients
A cross-sectional study examined the willingness of dental hygienists to provide dental hygiene care to autistic dental patients based on whether they felt confident in their ability to do so, according to a report published in PracticeUpdate.
In the study, investigators used a qualitative survey to explore the factors that may affect the self-efficacy of dental hygienists to provide dental care to autistic individuals by assessing the education, autism knowledge, training and experience of dental hygienists in treating this population.
After reviewing the results from the 82 dental hygienists who completed the survey, the investigators found that the self-efficacy scores had the greatest impact on the intention to provide care for autistic dental patients.
“This study showed that dental hygienists’ self-efficacy and support from dental offices to create a sensory-adapted dental environment were the biggest factors in their intention to treat individuals with autism. A greater emphasis on applied autism training within entry-level dental hygiene programs, professional training/experience and continuing education courses is needed,” concluded the investigators.
Read more: PracticeUpdate
The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.