oral health

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Dental Tribune

ALBANY, N.Y., US: Mental health support is now a great priority for many employers who wish to show their commitment to promoting well-being in the workplace. However, burn-out among healthcare staff continues to be a cause for concern and may lead to issues such as high employee turnover, absenteeism, depression and a greater likelihood of medical errors, thus threatening patient safety. Putting mental health in the spotlight, recent research examined the levels of burn-out experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic by oral health providers at non-profit dental facilities in the US serving low-income families or individuals. It also highlighted contributing factors and strategies used to increase workforce resilience.

The report, published by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies, used data from the 2021 online survey by Health Choice Network that included information on clinicians working in 25 community health centres across the US. The survey gathered information on 588 respondents, including those working in primary care, oral health, and mental and behavioural health settings. Oral health clinicians totalled 33 dentists, 12 dental hygienists and 25 dental assistants.

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Becker’s Dental and DSO Review

Nearly four-fifths of oral health providers reported experiencing burnout, according to a report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies.

Of the oral health providers surveyed for the report, 79.3% reported burnout. Primary care providers and mental and behavioral health providers also reported high incidences of burnout, coming in at 80.1% and 76.2%, respectively.

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Dimensions of Dental Hygiene

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany Center for Health Workforce Studies in New York has shed light on the prevalence and effects of stress among oral health professionals working in nonprofit dental facilities serving disadvantaged populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic intensified burnout issues among healthcare professionals, including those in oral health, due to the risk of COVID-19 infection. The survey analyzed clinicians in 25 United States community health centers, revealing that 79.3% of oral health providers reported experiencing burnout, a rate comparable to primary care and mental/behavioral health clinicians.

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Medical Xpress

Burnout is a prevalent problem for the health workforce, associated with employee turnover, absenteeism and depression. Burnout has also been shown to increase risk of medical errors and raises concerns about patient safety.

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened issues of  for , especially those providing patient care. For the oral health  in particular, the chance of COVID-19 infection was considered high due to potential contact with respiratory aerosols and spatter during dental procedures.

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) in the School of Public Health explored the prevalence and effects of burnout and stress among the oral health workforce in safety-net dental organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers worked with the Health Choice Network to analyze its 2021 online survey of clinicians working in 25 community health centers across the U.S.

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Medical Xpress

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the use of teledentistry—a strategy that improved access to oral health services despite full or partial closures of dental practices.

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) in the School of Public Health explored the use of teledentistry by safety-net organizations, which include Federally Qualified Heath Centers (FQHCs), to bridge access to care during the pandemic.

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Dentistry Today

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the use of teledentistry, a strategy that improved access to oral health services despite full or partial closure of dental practices. Teledentistry was successfully utilized for triage, consultation, diagnosis, referral, follow-up, and health education, reducing the number of in-person visits.

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) explored the use of teledentistry by safety-net organizations which include Federally Qualified Heath Centers (FQHCs), to bridge access to care during the pandemic.

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Times Union

ALBANY — Last summer, the calls started coming into Saratoga Springs Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner’s district office.Woerner said she was curious about the sudden spike in constituents who said they couldn’t find dental care for themselves or family members.“There’s a decided lack of dentists whose practice will include Medicaid patients,” Woerner said. “For example, in my district, it is only the Saratoga Community Health Center, which is run by the hospital. They have one dentist and two hygienists and that’s it for the entire population.”

Across the state, soaring Medicaid rates are bringing into sharp focus the scarcity of dental care options for low- and middle-income people on public health insurance…

…At one safety-net provider in Minnesota, clinicians, administrators and patients overwhelmingly reported positive experiences with the dental therapy workforce, according to a study by Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany’s School of Public Health.

A review of dental claims data revealed that by leaning on dental therapists, dentists were freed up to provide a higher level of service, wait times for care decreased and patients had more of their dental needs met per visit.

“It’s pretty obvious that it’s quite positive and you want to say to people, ‘Gee, what are you waiting for? ‘ ” research center director Jean Moore told the Times Union. “But the resistance from organized dentistry at times can be pretty daunting.”

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The Wenatchee World

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community continues to advocate for legislation that would allow dental therapists to practice throughout the state.

Dental therapists are mid-level providers capable of performing about 50 of the approximately 500 procedures a dentist can provide, such as fillings and simple extractions…

…According to a 2017 study by the Center for Health Workforce Studies, rural, low-income and patients with limited English proficiency have less access to oral health care and poorer oral health outcomes…

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Dentistry Today

The dental profession is undergoing substantial demographic changes, especially in relation to gender. A new study conducted by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) builds on their previous work on gender diversity in dentistry. Researchers used data from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey (ACS) to assess variation in workforce participation patterns among dentists related to certain personal characteristics…

…“Diversity within the dental profession is a widely embraced goal,” says OHWRC Co-Deputy Director Margaret Langelier. “One desirable outcome is that dentistry becomes increasingly representative of the patient community, which has been shown to improve access to care. Prior research suggests that female dentists treat more children and more publicly insured patients than their male counterparts. The growth in the number of women in dentistry may expand the capacity of the delivery system to better meet the needs of the population, particularly the underserved.”

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University at Albany

ALBANY, N.Y. (January 18, 2021) – Research conducted by Simona Surdu and Margaret Langelier at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies found that children’s utilization of oral health teledentistry services in general dentistry clinics shortened their waiting period for specialty treatment services.

The study included 144 children from rural New York who had live-video teledentistry consultations with pediatric dental specialists at local general dentistry clinics. During the teledentistry visits, pediatric dental specialists provided the children with consultation services, whereas treatment services were provided in-person at the specialty detal clinic at a later date…

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