Background: Stress is a challenge to many post-secondary students and, if prolonged and unmanaged, can affect academic success. Understanding factors that contribute to students’ stress is important. One possible contributor may be adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); that is, traumatic events that occur during the first 18 years of life. Inverse relationships between the number of ACEs and indicators of poor mental well-being have been proposed. Objective: To describe ACEs in oral health students (OHS) and the associations between the number and types of ACEs and levels of perceived stress, an indicator of mental well-being. Methods: Invitations to participate in an anonymous online cross-sectional survey were sent to all OHS, 19 years and older, attending Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Self-reports of ACEs and perceived stress were collected. Zeroorder correlations and regression modelling were used to examine associations. Results: Twenty-six percent (26%, n = 66) of OHS completed the survey. Respondents reported an average of 2.20 ACEs; 34.9% reported >3 ACEs. Emotional abuse (41%) was the most reported ACE. Associations were observed between numbers of ACEs and stress. Levels of stress increased with the number of ACEs (r = 0.23, p < 0.05). Regression modelling determined levels of stress were not affected by ACE type (F(3,62) = 2.24, p = 0.092). Discussion: This was the first study to examine associations between ACEs and perceived stress in OHS. These students reported greater numbers of ACEs than age-matched general populations. Levels of stress were associated with numbers of ACEs. Conclusion: Faculty in dental and dental hygiene programs should recognize the prevalence of ACEs among OHS and the potential impact on their mental well-being.

Background: Lack of knowledge about transgender patients often correlates with increased stigma and an unwillingness to provide care to this population. This study examined the knowledge, attitudes, and willingness of oral health care providers with regard to treating transgender patients. Methods: Dentists, midlevel providers, and dental hygienists in the United States and Canada accessed an online survey (N = 315) focused on assessing knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to provide care and/or seek additional education on treating transgender individuals. Descriptive statistical, correlational, and regression analyses were conducted. Results: The survey completion rate was 85% (n = 268). Respondents correctly answered an average of 70% of the knowledge questions, with 56% of participants unable to define “gender” and 66% unable to define “sex identity”. Almost 1 in 4 respondents incorrectly defined a trans male or trans female, or misidentified particular health disparities experienced by transgender individuals. A lack of willingness to seek additional information on providing culturally competent care, having lower levels of knowledge, and identifying with specific religions correlated with higher levels of stigma (p < 0.001). While US providers exhibited low stigma overall, Canadian providers, survey respondents with higher levels of knowledge, and those with transgender friends and/or family demonstrated lower levels of stigma (p < 0.001). Discussion and conclusions: Transgender individuals face disparities in medical and oral health care. Based on the findings of this survey, it will be important to address factors associated with higher levels of stigma and educate oral health professionals on providing culturally competent care for transgender individuals.

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are highly prevalent among dental hygiene professionals. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate and compare seated and standing postures during simulated dental hygiene practice to determine ergonomic risks associated with each posture. Methods: A convenience sample of 35 female second-year dental hygiene students with no history of musculoskeletal disorders was enrolled in this IRB-approved study. In 2 separate sessions, 1 seated and 1 standing, participants instrumented 1 quadrant of the mouth in a simulated oral environment. Two images per session, per participant, were taken to evaluate biomechanical demands of each posture using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) tool. The same 4 calibrated researchers scored all images independently and mean scores for each posture were analysed. Results: Thirty-four students completed the study. Results revealed statistically significant (p = 0.001) differences in mean RULA scores between seated (M = 3.91, SD = 0.77) and standing (M = 4.50, SD = 1.00) postures, although these differences may not be clinically relevant. Discussion: When postures were independently assessed, seated postures were more acceptable on average compared to standing postures, yet both were in the unacceptable range. Lack of training in standing postures may have impacted the results. Conclusion: Results support the need for additional ergonomic training in dental hygiene curricula. Less than ideal posture when seated or standing could increase MSD risk. Future research should examine biomechanical loads of seated and standing postures, as well as the combination of these postures, for more insight into their ergonomic benefits and associated MSD risks.

Background: Nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) is the leading cause of mortality among residents in long-term care (LTC) homes. Aspiration pneumonia (AP) is one cause of NHAP. Professional oral health care (POHC) and daily mouth care can be effective in decreasing AP risk. Aim: To identify, appraise, synthesize, analyze, and interpret results on the effectiveness of onsite POHC interventions/programs delivered to LTC home residents in reducing oral disease and NHAP. To summarize the findings and provide recommendations for clinical work and future research. Methods: The PICO question addressed was, “In LTC home residents with oral health needs (P), is onsite POHC (I), compared to usual care (C), clinically effective in reducing dental disease and pneumonia/AP (O)?” Databases searched were PubMed, EMBASE (Ovid), CINAHL (Ebsco), Cochrane Library (Wiley), Web of Science, and the databases of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and cross-sectional studies. PRISMA guidelines were followed and GRADE was used to assess the quality of studies. Results: Thirteen clinical effectiveness studies were included: 10 RCTs, 1 non-RCT, and 2 cross-sectional studies. Discussion: Better oral health and respiratory infection outcomes were found in the experimental groups who received an onsite POHC intervention compared to the control groups. Conclusion: There is moderate-to-strong evidence that onsite POHC in LTC homes, provided mostly by dental hygienists, is effective in preventing bacterial mouth infection, pneumonia, and AP.

Objective: This narrative review explores current research to broaden the understanding of dental hygienists’ experiences and satisfaction in the workplace while suggesting strategies for the retention of dental hygienists and examining how current staffing shortages may impact the forthcoming Canadian Dental Care Plan. Methods: An electronic literature search was conducted in the following online databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and Education Source. Only full-text, peer-reviewed articles written in English were selected for review. Results: The search yielded 18 articles with a wide range of study designs and methodologies. Discussion: Five key themes emerged from the literature: health impacts, psychosocial environment, strategies for retention, contradictory findings, and implications for the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Conclusion: Dental hygienists experience many health, environmental, and psychosocial challenges in their day-to-day working life that affect their job satisfaction and overall willingness to remain in the profession. Strategies for retention are essential for maintaining the current dental hygiene workforce and can have a positive impact on the Canadian Dental Care Plan and its success.

Introduction: Higher educational institutions increasingly focus on incorporating games to enhance student engagement. Gimkit is a recent addition to gamified learning that allows instructors to create quiz games with randomly repeated questions. Case description: The study of nutrition requires memorization of facts. Gimkit was incorporated into a dental hygiene class to teach nutrition and support rote learning. Anonymous data on student performance and satisfaction were collected. Descriptive statistics were applied to summarize the survey results; the difficulty and discrimination indices were analyzed to evaluate students’ academic performance. Results: Ten percent of the class participated in the voluntary survey; academic performance was analyzed for the whole class. The study identified Gimkit as a potential learning tool, especially for content areas that require memorization and learning of facts. Conclusion: Data show a positive impact of in-class gaming on knowledge acquisition and retention.