Pediatric Residents' Knowledge and Comfort With Oral Health Bright Futures Concepts: A CORNET Study.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Dentistry
• Oral Health Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Oral health training for pediatric residents is vital for reducing health disparities and improving access to care.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Guidelines curriculum serves as a framework for oral health education.
• Integrating oral health into well-child visits is essential for early detection and prevention in children under three.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the knowledge, confidence, and perceived barriers among pediatric residents regarding the integration of Bright Futures oral health concepts.
• To evaluate the current state of oral health education within pediatric residency programs.
• To identify specific challenges hindering the implementation of oral health guidance in routine pediatric care.

Main Methods:

• A national sample of postgraduate year 1 and 2 pediatric residents participated in a cross-sectional survey.
• Surveys assessed demographic information, confidence levels, and knowledge of Bright Futures oral health concepts.
• Reliability of survey measures was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient.

Main Results:

• One-third of 163 surveyed residents reported no prior oral health training.
• Perceived barriers included lack of time (42%) and insufficient knowledge (33%) in addressing oral health concepts.
• While 63% felt confident identifying tooth decay risk factors, 64% reported poor or neutral skills in oral risk assessment and 53% in caries identification.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric residents demonstrate high self-reported oral health knowledge but exhibit low perceived clinical skills and competency.
• Barriers such as time constraints and difficulties in caries identification need to be addressed through targeted oral health curricula.
• Effective implementation of oral health curricula, like Bright Futures, can enhance resident competence and improve oral health integration into well-child visits.