Factors affecting provision of oral health education on interdental cleaning by dentists and hygienists in Hong Kong / y Chow Wing Yi, Winnie, BDS

Abstract

Objectives: To find out how often the dentists and dental hygienists provide oral health education on interdental cleaning and to investigate the factors and potential barriers on the provision of such education. To compare how dentists and hygienists with different educational and practical backgrounds differ in the views on the provision of oral health education on interdental cleaning

Design: Cross-sectional survey

Participants: Self-reporting questionnaires were sent by mail to all dentists from the general register and electronically to the dental hygienists in Hong Kong. Information on their background information, frequency, type and pre-operative assessment of provision of oral hygiene education on interdental cleaning, together with the perceived reasons or barriers that they encountered were collected.

Results: A total of 563 fully completed questionnaires were returned (response rate=31%). Only 4.1% of the dental practitioner reported rarely or never provided interdental cleaning education to their teenage and adult patients. Specialisation area was found to be a significant predictor of provision of interdental cleaning education, with adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 19.4 (95%confidence interval 5.19 -72.67). Endodontics and oral surgery specialists were least likely to provide interdental cleaning education to teenage and adult patients. The most commonly reported reasons/barriers for not providing oral hygiene education on interdental cleaning were lack of clinical time (45.2%), followed by patient not interested (30.2%), and lack of patient's compliance (29.3%). Lack of clinical time, lack of patient's compliance, and lack of educational tools significantly lowered the likelihood of providing interdental cleaning education by 57%, 55% and 94% (all p-values < 0.05). The majority (98.4%) of the dental practitioner spent less than 15 minutes in interdental cleaning education, and66.1% spent less than 5 minutes.

Conclusion: Most of the Hong Kong dental practitioners are willing to provide oral hygiene education and give recommendations on interdental cleaning despite the low percentage in practicing interdental cleaning among the Hong Kong population. The specialization of area, perceived lack of clinical time, lack of patient’s compliance and lack of educational tools may lower the likelihood of providing such education.