Effectiveness of an Educational Module on Dental Hygiene Students' Attitudes Towards Persons with Disabilities

Purpose: Persons with disabilities (PWDs) perceive gaps in health care providers' understanding of their health care needs are more likely to delay or not seek health care as compared to persons without disabilities. Oral health is considered an essential component of overall health, however, disparities exist in the United States, especially for persons with disabilities. Improving the education and training of dentists and dental hygienists may contribute to reducing oral health care barriers for PWDs. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether offering an education module about individuals with disabilities would change dental hygiene students' attitudes and capacity for informed empathy for PWDs.Methods: An educational module utilizing a DVD featuring authentic representation of PWDs, along with student discussions and self-reflection was developed and delivered to 165 (n=165) dental hygiene students attending a 2-year community college and a 4-year university. Students consenting to participate in the study were assessed regarding their attitudes and comfort towards caring for PWDs prior to, and following the educational module. Pre- and post-assessment measures included the validated Attitude Toward Disabled Persons, and Attitudes toward Patient Advocacy Microsocial (AMIA) scale. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was used as a pre-assessment measure.Results: A total of 58 (n=58) dental hygiene students, 35 (n=35) from a 4-year university and 23 (n=23) from a 2-year community college, consented for this study, for an overall participation rate of 35%. Scores increased significantly for both student groups after delivering the education module on the AMIA patient advocacy scale. Differences in IRI scores between the 2-year and 4-year dental hygiene programs approached statistical significance.Conclusion: An education module based on informed empathy with a focus on the experiences of PWDs can result in improved attitudes toward advocacy for this population.