Original Research
Monday, November 13, 2023
01:00 PM–02:30 PM
Abstract
Introduction: Tobacco use is one of the leading preventable causes of disease and mortality in the United States compounded by damaging impacts on oral health. Interprofessional collaboration is imperative for successful tobacco cessation among patients, and dental programs across the nation, while well-positioned, do not always provide students with the skills and knowledge to fully address in clinical practice.
Research Question or Hypothesis: Evaluate the educational impact of an interprofessional “Carolina Quits Initiative” tobacco cessation training for Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and Dental Hygiene (DH) students.
Study Design: Single-center, pre-post cohort study analyzing the impact of an orientation training for a 10-week pilot in Spring 2023 within an academic dental clinic setting.
Methods: The “Carolina Quits Initiative” was implemented through interprofessional collaboration among dentistry, dental hygiene, social work, and pharmacy. DDS and DH students were provided a 40-minute lecture and were provided educational materials and patient resources to utilize in clinic. Pre-post-training surveys assessed changes in DDS and DH students’ knowledge-based questions analyzed by chi-squared tests and their confidence in tobacco cessation skills using Likert scale statements analyzed by paired t-tests. Significance was set at p<0.05.
Results: Ultimately, 50 students (32 DDS, 18 DH) completed both the pre-post-training surveys. While 76% of students endorse (n=38) assessing tobacco use during patient encounters, the majority did not have experience in providing cessation counseling or interprofessional collaboration prior. Compared to students’ baseline, post-training surveys revealed significant improvement in knowledge-based questions, along with confidence in: utilizing the ask-advise-connect method, discussing tobacco cessation materials, referring patients to providers/resources, selecting appropriate tobacco cessation products, and interprofessional collaboration on tobacco cessation plans (p<0.05).
Conclusion: This interprofessional training demonstrated to be effective in significantly improving students’ knowledge and confidence in their skills regarding tobacco cessation and may serve as training guidance to be adapted by dental programs nationwide.
Presenting Author
Anita Yang PharmDUniversity of North Carolina Medical Center
Authors
Heidi Anksorus PharmD, BCPS
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Jamie Burgess-Flowers MSW, LCSW
University of North Carolina School of Social Work
Shuyan Huang PharmD
University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Marta Musskopf DDS, MSD, PhD
Adams School of Dentistry - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Roxanne Dsouza-Norwood RDH, MS
Adams School of Dentistry Dental Hygiene
Kelsey Yokovich MSW
University of North Carolina School of Social Work
Kimberly Sanders PharmD, BCPS
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy