Biomedical subjects

Kerstin Ohrn

Publications and source records attributed to Kerstin Ohrn.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Dental beliefs: evaluation of the Swedish version of the revised Dental Beliefs Survey in different patient groups and in a non-clinical student sample.

The aim of this study was to evaluate and to test the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the revised Dental Beliefs Survey (DBS-R) in different patient groups and in a non-clinical sample of students. It was hypothesized that negative dental beliefs, assessed using the DBS-R, would discriminate between fearful and non-fearful study groups. The questionnaire was distributed together with the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). The sample included 550 adults who responded to the questionnaires (206 students, 177 general dental patients, 105 periodontal patients and 62 patients at a waiting list for dental-fear treatment). The internal drop-out rate was low. The results confirmed that the DBS-R discriminates well between fearful patients and the other study groups. The DBS-R had a high internal consistency in all the study groups. Furthermore, the DBS-R correlated significantly with age (higher values in younger age groups) and the DAS. Regression analyses showed that the DBS-R subdimensions of 'communication' and 'control'/or 'trust', respectively, were significant predictors for dental fear. The results suggest that the DBS-R is a reliable and valid instrument for use in different Swedish patient- and non-clinical population groups in order to assess attitudes to dentists. However, the underlying factor structure of the DBS-R needs to be further explored and established.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Tobacco use prevention and cessation in dental and dental hygiene undergraduate education.

Oral health care professionals are aware of their responsibility to advise patients to stop using tobacco. However, they do not feel sufficiently prepared to help their patients to quit, and consequently are not confident in providing these preventive measures. This fact reflects the lack of emphasis on tobacco cessation in both dental and dental hygiene undergraduate education. It may therefore be assumed that improvement of dental and dental hygiene education in tobacco use cessation counselling may result in increased self-confidence and frequency of its provision. The importance of making space in the curriculum for tobacco use prevention and cessation has to be emphasised. Dental schools and dental hygiene programmes have to be reminded of the key role the dental profession has in tobacco control. Next to the public health aspect of tobacco control, such involvement may be both an ethical and a legal responsibility. The implementation of effective tobacco use prevention and cessation in a dental educational setting requires a multidisciplinary approach involving the school's entire teaching personnel and external experts. In general, a knowledge base attained through lecture, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), or E-Learning, and clinical skills attained through clinical instructions and practices is required. It is suggested that curriculum content should include (1) the biological effects of tobacco use, (2) the history of tobacco culture and psychosocial aspects of tobacco use, (3) prevention and treatment of tobacco use and dependence, and (4) development of clinical skills for tobacco use prevention and cessation.

Counseling↗

PubMed2006

Using system dynamics as a quality improvement tool.

This study describes the development of a system dynamics model in a design process devoted to planning a new stroke unit. The model was created with a group modeling approach in which several professionals were involved. The advantage of using system dynamics is the simplicity and the ability to reveal the underlying structure of complex problem. Moreover, the method is transparent, showing the model boundaries and explicitly defined the variables and the relationships between them.

Humans↗

PubMed2004

The role of dental hygienists in oral health prevention.

Most dental diseases are preventable. This indicates that the main concept of dentistry could be changed to a situation in which the dental hygienist becomes the principal oral care professional. The competencies of dental hygienists focus on disease prevention and oral health promotion; thus referral to a dentist would only become necessary in the event of a failure in the preventive program where disease cannot be controlled. Future oral health care personnel need to be better educated to encourage people to implement healthy lifestyles rather than to treat teeth. In addition, the connection between oral health, general health and health-related quality of life will necessitate a multidisciplinary approach to prevention and oral health promotion. To focus strictly on oral health would too narrowly define the role of the dental hygienist in comprehensive prevention and health promotion. There is no precise boundary between the oral cavity and the rest of the body. Dietary advice to prevent dental caries and smoking cessation counseling to prevent periodontal disease and oral cancer also promote general health. Consequently the focus on prevention and health promotion makes the dental hygienist a very important person in the dental team of the future.

Counseling↗

PubMed2002

The role of oral sequelae in health-related quality of life of cancer patients.

Patients undergoing treatment for cancer often develop oral complications. These complications have an influence on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Patient reports on HRQOL have been found to follow the same pattern as reports of experiencing oral discomfort. HRQOL should be incorporated as an outcome variable into the evaluation of the role of oral hygiene and oral care for patients with cancer, and oral status should also be incorporated as a variable when evaluating care for patients with cancer.

Humans↗