Dental Hygiene ETDs

Publication Date

7-8-2009

Abstract

There are more than 15, 000 approved prescription and over-the-counter drugs, diagnostics, and intravenous supplementation products in the United States. Due to the increased number of patients using medications it is important that dental providers are aware of common adverse oral complications. The most commonly seen adverse oral effects of medications are xerostomia, gingival hypertrophy, angular cheilitis, and mucositis. The purpose of this study was to examine dental providers, subjects' knowledge of adverse oral effects of low-dose methotrexate, diltiazem, cyclosporine, isotretinoin, and lisinopril. Four of the five hypotheses tested demonstrated high P-values, therefore; they were consistent with the null hypothesis. However, these four hypotheses yielded insight into areas of further study. When evaluating the number of continuing education hours that subjects participate in annually compared to their responses on the survey, a statistically significant difference was demonstrated. A P-value of 0.022 was obtained, with subjects participating in 26+ hours of continuing education scoring an average of 0.629 higher than those who participate in 25 or fewer hours of continuing education annually. Data suggests that further studies are needed to evaluate where students are instructed on adverse oral effects in an educational setting and how much time is spent on the subject matter. Other areas of further investigation would include a study of established dental providers and how could their attainment of knowledge improve. Most importantly this data highlights a deficiency in information regarding adverse oral effects. It is crucial that this topic be researched further and dental providers are educated on this subject matter to ensure the highest quality of care to dental patients.

Degree Name

Dental Hygiene

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Dental Medicine

First Committee Member (Chair)

Sanchez-Dils, Elaine

Second Committee Member

Plese, Melissa

Language

English

Keywords

Dentistry--Practice--New Mexico, Physician practice patterns--New Mexico, Dental care--New Mexico--Evaluation, Dental surveys--New Mexico, Drug monitoring--New Mexico, Drugs--Side effects, Mouth--Effect of drugs on, Teeth--Effect of drugs on, Drug interactions.

Document Type

Thesis

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