Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025
08:47
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
12.6K
Attitudes toward Adolescent Mental Health Screening in a Dental Setting: A Mixed-Methods Study
1Instructor, Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
JDR Clinical and Translational Research
|November 19, 2024
Summary
Pediatric dentists and orthodontists recognize the importance of screening adolescents for anxiety and depressive disorders, but few implement it due to barriers like lack of training and stigma. Addressing these obstacles is crucial for integrating mental health care in dental settings.
Area of Science:
- Oral health
- Mental health
- Adolescent health
Background:
- Adolescent anxiety and depressive disorders are increasing.
- Pediatric dentists and orthodontists regularly interact with adolescent patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess pediatric dentists' and orthodontists' attitudes toward mental health screening for adolescents.
- To identify barriers and facilitators to incorporating these screenings into dental practices.
Main Methods:
- Sequential mixed-methods approach combining surveys and interviews.
- Survey distributed to 5,538 pediatric dentists and orthodontists.
- Thematic analysis of interviews with 16 dental professionals.
Main Results:
- Over 80% of respondents found mental health screening important, yet less than 15% conducted it.
- Lack of training, resource access, and stigma were identified as key barriers.
- Willingness to screen was lower when perceived negative impact on patient perception or importance increased.
Conclusions:
- Despite recognizing the importance, many dental professionals are hesitant to screen for anxiety and depressive disorders.
- Addressing training gaps and stigma is essential for successful integration of mental health screenings.
- Further research and policy initiatives are needed to support integrated dental and mental health care.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Assessment of the Mouth
139
A thorough mouth assessment, including inspection and palpation of the lips, gums, tongue, tonsils, uvula, and pharynx, is crucial in detecting potential health issues. Diseases ranging from oral cancer to systemic conditions like diabetes could be identified early through careful oral examination. This article provides a detailed guide on conducting a comprehensive mouth assessment.
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
139
01:54Attitudes
28.2K
Attitude is our evaluation of a person, an idea, or an object. We have attitudes for many things ranging from products that we might pick up in the supermarket to people around the world to political policies. Typically, attitudes are favorable or unfavorable: positive or negative (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). And, they have three components: an affective component (feelings), a behavioral component (the effect of the attitude on behavior), and a cognitive component (belief and knowledge;...
28.2K
02:16Surveys
14.7K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
14.7K