DeBiase Christina, Giblin-Scanlon Lori, Boyd Linda D, Vineyard Jared
J Dent Hyg. 2020 Apr;94(2):37-44.
Untreated and poorly controlled diabetes causes increased levels of blood glucose associated with poor periodontal disease outcomes. Dental hygienists can play a significant role in screening patients for diabetes mellitus, leading to referral and early diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers faced by clinical dental hygienists regarding diabetes risk assessment and screenings. A mixed method design was used with a convenience sample of dental hygienists in clinical practice (n=316). A 32 item, electronic survey was validated at item-level, and participants were recruited through multiple dental hygiene Facebook groups. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The survey also included two open-ended attitude questions that were interpreted using thematic analysis to pinpoint common patterns within the data. Dental hygienists had high knowledge scores regarding diabetes and oral health, although many were unaware of their states' specific statutes and regulations for screening practices. Nearly all (95.9%), were likely to educate and refer patients (82%), although fewer than half (40.9%), were likely to perform chairside screening for diabetes. Emergent themes for barriers to screening were time, money, patient acceptance/willingness, lack of education, not having the proper tools, and states' rules and regulations. Despite high knowledge scores regarding diabetes and oral health, there is a gap in regards to dental hygienists' willingness to perform diabetes screenings in a clinical setting. Dental hygienists should be capable of integrating chairside diabetes screening practices into the process of care with proper training.
未经治疗以及控制不佳的糖尿病会导致血糖水平升高，进而引发不良的牙周疾病后果。牙科保健员在筛查糖尿病患者方面可发挥重要作用，促使患者转诊并实现早期诊断。本研究的目的是确定临床牙科保健员在糖尿病风险评估和筛查方面所具备的知识、态度、实践情况以及面临的障碍。研究采用了混合方法设计，选取了临床实践中的牙科保健员作为便利样本（n = 316）。一份包含32个项目的电子调查问卷在项目层面得到了验证，参与者通过多个牙科保健脸书群组招募而来。使用描述性统计方法对数据进行分析。该调查还包括两个开放式态度问题，通过主题分析对其进行解读，以找出数据中的常见模式。牙科保健员在糖尿病和口腔健康方面的知识得分较高，尽管许多人并不知晓所在州关于筛查实践的具体法规。几乎所有（95.9%）的人都可能会对患者进行教育和转诊（82%），尽管不到一半（40.9%）的人可能会在诊椅旁进行糖尿病筛查。筛查障碍的新出现主题包括时间、资金、患者接受度/意愿、缺乏教育、没有合适的工具以及州法规。尽管牙科保健员在糖尿病和口腔健康方面的知识得分较高，但在临床环境中进行糖尿病筛查的意愿方面仍存在差距。牙科保健员应通过适当培训，有能力将诊椅旁糖尿病筛查实践纳入护理流程。
