Dental Hygiene Students' Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding People with Dementia: A Four-Year Prospective Study

In an increasingly aging society, dental hygienists who are prepared to provide care for patients with dementia are much needed. The aim of this study was to identify factors related to dental hygiene students' willingness to treat patients with dementia, including their attitudes towards these patients and their knowledge of the disease. All 134 students in three dental hygiene programs in Japan were invited to participate in the study; data were analyzed for 122 students (91% response rate). Students' attitudes towards patients with dementia and their knowledge of dementia were assessed in the first, second, and third years and at the end of the third year. Questionnaires were administered to assess the students' willingness to treat patients with dementia, relationship and cohabitation with individuals with dementia, and cohabitation with elderly people. For each characteristic, a higher score implied better/more favorable behavior/performance. Students' scores for attitudes towards patients with dementia peaked at the end of the third year, following a decrease earlier in the third year. Meanwhile, their scores for knowledge increased with each year. Their dementia-related attitudes and knowledge were inversely correlated in the first year, but the correlation became positive after the third year. The proportion of students who expressed willingness to treat was highest at the end of the third year, following a decline earlier in the third year. The willingness to treat was positively correlated with yearly promotion (odds ratio: 1.20 [1.01-1.43]; p=0.035) and attitudes (odds ratio: 1.08 [10.4-1.11]; p<0.001), but not with knowledge (p=0.973). These results support the idea that, to promote dental hygiene students' willingness to treat patients with dementia, it is important to cultivate in them a positive attitude towards these patients.