Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Behaviour of Midwives Concerning Periodontal Health of Pregnant Patients.

Maternal gum disease is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and low birthweight. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practice behaviour of Australian midwives regarding the periodontal health of pregnant women to inform interprofessional antenatal care. This was an observational, cross-sectional study. We circulated an online questionnaire to Australian midwives from August 2018 to February 2019. Key outcome variables were knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviours related to oral health. Key predictor variables were years of practice, practice location, and dental history. We summarized responses with frequency tables and assigned tallied scores for analysis using non-parametric statistical tests. 100 responses were analysed, including from rural (n = 23) and urban (n = 77) midwives. Eighty percent of midwives agreed that maternal dental care can positively affect pregnancy outcomes. Fluoridated toothpaste use (19.1%) was incorrectly answered to prevent gum disease more often than psychological stress control (7.9%), a correct answer. Rural midwives demonstrated a significantly higher knowledge score (p = 0.001) and significantly more positive practice behaviours towards oral health (p = 0.014) than urban midwives. Australian midwives have positive attitudes towards antenatal oral health but misunderstand gum disease aetiology and prevention. This study highlights areas to improve interprofessional education for optimal oral health and pregnancy outcomes.

A Tale of Two Teaching Methods: Students' Clinical Perspectives on Administering Dental Local Anesthetics.

Various preclinical methodologies have been adopted by dental and oral health programs to develop student competence in administering dental local anesthetics (LA). Student-to-student practice is the most common preclinical training method. However, manikin simulation models have been introduced to avoid possible complications and ethical concerns with student-to-student injections. In 2017, the methodology was changed in the Bachelor of Oral Health program at The University of Sydney School of Dentistry in Australia from student-to-student practice to manikin simulation models. The aim of this study was to compare the students' learning experience, perceived confidence, and anxiety in giving their first injections to patients in these two preclinical training methods. A mixed-methods cohort design was used to compare the 2016 (n = 42) and 2017 (n = 32) oral health students' experiences and perceptions and evaluate students' clinical experience after commencing LA practice on patients. Students completed a questionnaire about their perceived level of confidence and anxiety before and after their first LA to a child and an adult for both infiltration and inferior alveolar nerve b lock (IANB) injections. Focus groups were conducted to further investigate the students' experience. The results showed that the perceived confidence and anxiety of the two cohorts did not differ significantly from each other. Although students found it difficult to transition into clinical practice without having experienced LA themselves, the manikin simulation practice provided a safe learning platform that avoided ethical and legal concerns. These findings support the use of manikin simulation models as an alte rnative method for dental local anesthetic preclinical training.

Student-to-Student Dental Local Anesthetic Preclinical Training: Impact on Students' Confidence and Anxiety in Clinical Practice.

Effective dental local anesthetic administration forms the basis of pain-free dentistry; therefore, the application of theoretical knowledge and the ability to deliver injections safely and competently are vital aspects of student learning. Student- to-student administration of the first local anesthetic injection has been a traditional method for preclinical training. The aim of this study was to evaluate oral health students' perceived value of such practice and the impact on their level of anxiety and confidence in giving their first injections to patients. A sequential mixed-methods cohort study design was used. After their local anesthesia training, all 42 second-year students in the oral health program at the Sydney Dental School, University of Sydney, Australia, in 2016-17 were asked to complete five short questionnaires. All 42 students completed each questionnaire, after which seven of them participated in a voluntary focus group. The students reported that they valued the one-on-one feedback from the educators during student-to-student preclinical training. The students' primary concern was the possible pain and discomfort that may arise when they perform the first infiltration or inferior alveolar nerve block injections on patients. Most students reported they felt "a little nervous" and experienced a similar level of confidence in administering the two types of injections. The oral health students valued the experiential learning of student-to-student preclinical dental local anaesthetic training. Students' level of anxiety and confidence was affected by the age of patients and type of local anesthetic injections. The level of anxiety students experienced was negatively correlated with their confidence in giving first local anesthetic injections to patients. Further investigation is needed to determine if this level changes with more clinical experience.

An innovative educational approach in using instructional videos to teach dental local anaesthetic skills.

OBJECTIVE: Good clinical skills are crucial for all dental practitioners. The transfer of knowledge from didactic lectures to daily clinical application can be challenging for current millennial learners. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using instructional videos to teach dental local anaesthesia in an undergraduate oral health programme in 2017. METHODS: The philosophical basis of this study relies on the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course which has been proven effective in practical education. Video clips were made in 3 different formats, with the addition of a quiz-embedded version to reinforce learning and revision for practical assessments. RESULTS: All the students agreed that their motivation to watch the videos was to refresh their memories before assessments. 90% of students agreed the videos helped them to learn psychomotor skills that required accuracy. There was a statistically significant correlation between the number of views of the videos on the administration of block injections and the marks received for practical assessment (r = 0.36, P = 0.05), and correlation between participating in online quizzes and theory assessment (r = 0.371, P = 0.044). Videos with narration and background music were found to be popular amongst oral health students. CONCLUSION: The use of instructional videos has been found effective in complementing the ATLS approach for teaching psychomotor skills in the administration of local anaesthetics by oral health students. Further studies are required to measure the students' retention of knowledge and application of skills on a patient in clinical settings.