Student dental hygienists' and dental hygiene educators' attitudes toward the handicapped

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of student dental hygienists and dental hygiene educators at four educational sites in a north central state in the United States, using the Dental Students' Attitudes Toward the Handicapped Scale (DSATHS) developed by Lee and Sonis. It was hypothesized that (1) the majority of students would express a negative attitude toward the handicapped and (2) no significant differences would be found between students and educators. Of the 110 students surveyed, there was an 84% response rate. Of the 46 educators surveyed, there was a 78% response rate. The data were analyzed using frequency distributions. Chi-square analyses were performed to determine if significant differences exist between (1) student dental hygienists and (2) student dental hygienists and dental hygiene educators. The criterion for statistical significance was p less than .05 for all analyses. The results revealed that over 50% of the students have a positive attitude toward their (1) educational experience; (2) perceptions of their instructors' experiential qualifications in working with the handicapped; and (3) desire for future and interpersonal relationships with the handicapped. However, more students have a positive attitude toward their relationships with the handicapped than toward their educational experience and perceptions of instructors relative to the handicapped. Fewer than 50% of the students agreed that their (1) educational experiences facilitate confidence or enjoyment in working with the handicapped; (2) teachers demonstrated enthusiasm or enjoyment when working with the handicapped; and (3) school's program for treatment of the handicapped is good.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)