How well prepared are Texas dental hygienists to recognize and report elderly abuse?

The elderly are the nation's fastest-growing population, and the number of elder abuse victims has reached epidemic proportions. In Texas, dentists and dental hygienists are mandated by law to report suspected abuse. This study surveyed Texas dental hygienists regarding elder abuse education received in dental hygiene school and post-graduation. Respondents were also asked to self-assess their knowledge level in recognizing the six types of elder abuse and to answer questions regarding Texas law and mandatory reporting of abuse. A survey designed for this study was mailed to 780 Texas licensed dental hygienists, representing 10 percent of the Texas dental hygiene population. Respondents were selected using a computer-generated random sample. A second mailing was sent to nonrespondents to prevent response bias. Results were analyzed using Statistical Programs for Social Scientists (SPSS). Over one-half of the respondents (56 percent) stated that abuse education was not part of their dental hygiene school curriculum. Only 46 percent of the respondents who replied that abuse education had been included in the curriculum were educated on elder abuse. A majority of respondents stated they lacked knowledge in recognizing the six types of elder abuse, and 81 percent of respondents reported being unknowledgeable about reporting elder abuse. The current status of elder abuse education in dental hygiene programs and post-graduation is insufficient. Dental hygienists have an obligation to become knowledgeable in recognizing and reporting elder abuse in order to provide complete care for their patients.

A review of the literature: the economic impact of preventive dental hygiene services.

The contributions of dental hygiene as a discipline of prevention, the inception of systemic fluoride in community water systems, the continual research conducted by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), and the success of dental sealants have all contributed to the decrease in incidences of dental diseases. The prevalence of employer-based dental insurance must also be recognized as contributing to a substantial paradigm shift on the utilization of oral health preventive services. This review of the economic impact of oral health preventive services on the consumer and the private dental practice suggests that these services have had a significant impact. Dentistry's challenge remains to extend these considerable gains in oral health status to the 150 million U.S. citizens who do not have access to oral health care services identified in the 2000 Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General. Utilizing preventive, therapeutic, and educational aspects of dental hygiene services, reaching communities without fluoridation of the public water supply, and incorporating mass pediatric dental sealant programs analogous to immunization programs would improve the oral health status of underserved populations.