University of Kentucky community-based field experience: program description.

Community-based field experiences (CBFE) provide students with exemplary experiential learning opportunities. The purposes of this paper are to describe the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry (UKCD) CBFE and report the results of a two-year, self-report survey that assessed the primary course goal, students' perceptions of change in knowledge and skills related to nineteen areas of patient care (n = 90, 100% return rate), and their overall rating of the program. Knowledge and skill data were analyzed using the non-parametric binomial test for comparing proportions. A significant (.05 level) majority of students reported increases in knowledge in all areas to which they were exposed. Descriptive frequencies summarizing the results of the total CBFE experience indicate that the majority of students felt it was a positive experience. The CBFE continues to be a meaningful element in the UKCD curriculum as it provides students with a relevant, authentic educational experience.

Evaluating a behavioral method to manage dental fear: a 2-year study of dental practices.

Eleven private general practices and a university clinic formed a network to treat dental fear. The practices located in four states learned a method of treating dental fear using dental staff members and audiovisual materials. This study is an evaluation of the network's effectiveness. In 15 months, 111 patients were treated by the network. The dentists reported providing substantial dental treatment to 77% (n = 86) of the patients. The study showed that private general practices can effectively treat strong dental fear.

Production and economic contributions of dental hygienists.

Dental hygienists' contribution to total gross billings and production, measured in standard production minutes, was studied in 13 private practices that employed hygienists. Hygienists' treatment accounted for one fourth of total production and one eighth of all gross billings. These results, together with analyses of the use of available time, the range of procedures performed by hygienists, and the rate of return for these procedures, illustrate the utility of this type of information when assessing the possibility of changes in the dental hygiene profession. In the past five years, the literature concerning dental hygienists has included a number of contributions that focus on the status of and possible changes in the practice of dental hygiene. These contributions have discussed the general future of dental hygiene,1-3 and the specific issues of professionalism,4-6 advocacy,7-8 and legal and political activity and knowledge.9-11 In addition, several discussions of new forms of dental hygiene practice also have appeared in the hygiene literature, 12-17 as well as in the general dental literature.18-20 Finally, surveys of dental hygienists have been reported frequently.21-30 The content of this growing body of literature indicates that the profession of dental hygiene currently is undergoing an internal examination, and that several educators and practitioners are advocating the acceptance of increased responsibility by hygienists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Measurement of effects of a state dental practice act on potential delegation and production in general dental private practice.

Detailed treatment information was obtained on every procedure performed for all patients seen during a two-year period in 14 private dental practices in Kentucky. This information permitted the investigation of the effect of Kentucky's State Dental Practice Act on the amount of production that could have been legally delegated in the 14 practices. The development of a new measure called the Standard Production Minute (SPM) allowed for the examination of the relations between delegation and production by measuring the two variables in the same time-based units. Results of the study indicated: In 14 private dental practices in Kentucky, 58.7 percent of all production was legally delegable under the State Dental Practice Act. The three areas of operative, hygiene/prevention, and exam/diagnostic data accounted for 74.8 percent of overall production and 67 percent of the production in these areas was legally delegable to auxiliaries in Kentucky. Within individual areas of dentistry, the greatest potential delegation rates were found in these three areas. Given the procedure-mix for the 14 practices, 31 percent of all potential delegation was restricted to hygienists and 18 percent of all production was delegable only to the hygienist under the Kentucky State Dental Practice Act. If the delegation of placing and finishing restorations was restricted by the Kentucky State Dental Practice Act, the percentage of production that could be delegated in the operative area would have decreased from 53.1 percent to 20 percent. However, the percent of production that could be delegated across all areas would have decreased from 58.7 percent to 46 percent.

Production-economic effects of delegation and practice size in a private dental office.

Practicing dentists, researchers, and a computer analyzed data from phases of use of expanded function dental auxiliaries in a private dental office. Increases in production and net income were related to the delegation of more complex functions in the expanded practice.

Aspects of planning and evaluation of children's dental care in Appalachia.

The dental public health literature contains almost no information on caries experience and treatment needs of Appalachian children, and little information concerning resource requirements for children's dental care programs in general. Data from three dental treatment programs in Appalachia are summarized for purposes of planning and evaluation of similar programs. Age specific caries and service experiences are presented, and evaluation criteria and planning considerations are discussed. Resource requirements, including time, cost and manpower are also presented, and special considerations for planning programs are discussed.

Preventive dentistry in private practice: a survey in Kentucky.

General practitioners in Kentucky were surveyed to establish a profile of preventive practice in the state and to identify factors influencing the profile. Both questionnaire and interview methods were used. A Kentuckian has a 55% chance of seeing a dentist who advises all his patients about prevention, and an 87% chance of seeing one who adivses some of his patients. Persons between the ages of 6 and 24 are most likely to receive preventive services. The dentist is selective about who receives a preventive-oriented examination, and he is more likely to perform the services than auxillaries. The profile shows the need for a greatly increased emphasis on preventive dentistry in undergraduate and continuing education courses and for the increased use of auxiliary personnel in the delivery of preventive services.