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33
Volume 3 Issue 5
|
S
upporting
Y
our
P
ractice
and confidence in performing these services for young
children.
30
In other areas of health care education, multiple
exposures to procedures have been linked with increased
student confidence.
31
Lack of patients was mentioned as 1 of the top 2 barriers to
teaching and providing clinical experience in prenatal and
infant and toddler oral health (
Figs. 1
and
2
). Interprofessional
educational opportunities in primary care settings with
pediatrics, obstetrics and family medicine components may
expose students to these populations. Not only could this
enhance training, but it may also foster oral health awareness
among non-dental professionals and lead to better
coordination of care and establishing and maintaining dental
homes.
Systems-Based Issues
To ensure that comprehensive education in prenatal and
early childhood oral health is part of dental programs,
CDAC’s accreditation requirements should be reviewed
and amended to include pregnant women and infants and
toddlers. Another useful approach may be to supplement
each program’s curriculum with an innovative online
module on infant and toddler oral health. The evolution
of dental education beyond the traditional surgical to a
more preventive approach and the increased emphasis on
the medical rather than the surgical management of caries
should lead to more universal adoption of early intervention.
Consideration of developing pediatric dentistry rotation
opportunities for senior students interested in general
dentistry may assist with workforce issues, as such “super”
general dentists will provide the greatest safety net for
pregnant women and children.
24,30,32
National oral health campaigns can help address the
perception, as identified in our study, that parents lack
awareness of the need for early dental care. This finding is
consistent with pediatric dentists citing parents’ diminished
value on infant oral health as the main barrier for not caring
for young children.
33
A public campaign of CDA, CDHA or
provincial dental organizations promoting the first dental
visit could help change perceptions and have an impact
on all aspects of clinical practice. In
2009, the
Journal of the Canadian Dental
Association
published an article along
with a complementary PowerPoint
presentation to teach dentists how to
perform a first visit for a toddler.
34
In the
context of social media, platforms such
as Twitter and YouTube may facilitate
awareness of these practice guidelines.
Although profit should not shape
clinical decisions, appropriate
reimbursement may convince some
dentists and hygienists of the usefulness
of early dental care, as the absence of
reimbursement is a known barrier to
caring for young children.
11
A specific code for first dental
examinations exists in Canada (code 00010), but providers
may be unaware of this and it is uncertain whether insurance
plans accept this code. Advocacy by CDA and CDHA to
promote proper reimbursement may increase its use.
Conclusions
Many, but not all, dentistry and dental hygiene programs are
teaching their students about the recommended age for
a first dental visit. Better adherence to national guidelines
will require programs to address current barriers impeding
learning about this important topic and to provide creative
opportunities for students regarding prenatal and infant and
toddler oral health.
a
Figure 1:
Barriers to teaching or providing clinical experience in infant
and toddler oral health in dentistry (
n
= 10) and dental hygiene (
n
= 25)
programs.
Figure 2:
Barriers to teaching or providing clinical experience in prenatal oral
health in dentistry (
n
= 10) and dental hygiene (
n
= 25) programs.
Lack of time Lack of patients Program
resources and
nances
Teaching sta
Patient/
caregiver
perception
of need
Family nances
Dentistry
Programs (%)
Dental Hygiene
Lack of patients Lack of time Program
resources and
nances
Teaching sta
Patient/
caregiver
perception
of need
Family nances
Dentistry
Programs (%)
Dental Hygiene
CDA has launched
a website to help
promote the
importance of the
first dental visit:
firstvisitfirsttooth.ca