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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Anne Koerber, DDS, PhD¹, Linda M. Kaste, DDS PhD¹, Khatija Noorullah, MPH¹, G. William Knight, DDS, MS, MS², and Debra Roter, MPH, DrPH³. (1) Pediatric Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, 801 S. Paulina, MC 850, Chicago, IL 60612, 312 996 9341, akoerber@uic.edu, (2) Restorative Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, 801 S. Paulina, MC 621, Chicago, IL 60612, (3) Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 North Wolfe Street, Hampton House 750, Baltimore, MD 21205

Although differences in behavior of health professionals towards African American patients (AAs) have been identified in other medical fields, differences in dentists' behavior towards AAs are rarely documented. Hypothesis: Dental students behave differently towards AA patients, resulting in lower patient satisfaction and intent to comply. Method: Videotapes of dental student-patient sessions, recorded for coursework, were coded by trained raters to note each time a student achieved a competency and to rate demeanor. Competencies included describing alternatives, risks and benefits, self-care, costs and time frames of dental treatment. Outcomes were the patients' self-report of satisfaction with the session and intention to comply with recommendations. Results: 63 students (43 white, 4 AA, 16 Asian) and patients (AA=36, non-AA=27) participated in academic year 2004-5 and responded to a survey. Dental students were less likely to engage in competencies with their AA patients, 5.2 (SD=2.5) with AAs and 6.4 (SD=2.4) with others (ANOVA, p<.05, n=72). However, patient race was not associated with the outcomes. Intent to comply tended to correlate with poor student demeanor (p<.054) and type of session (p<.001). Patient satisfaction was associated with female student/patient pair (p<.05) and patient understanding (p<.005). Conclusions: Dental students behaved somewhat differently with AA patients, and dental student behavior was associated with outcomes, but the relationship did not clearly indicate a mechanism for oral health disparities for AAs. Larger samples and tighter measuring methods might verify the mechanism in future studies. Funded by NIDCR R21 DE014991-01 and a UIC College of Dentistry Wach Grant.

Learning Objectives:

• The learner will be able to describe a study of the correlation of patient race, communication and outcomes in a session between dental students and patients.
• The learner will be able to list the factors that correlated with patient race and outcomes.
• The learner will be able to discuss whether an improved study design would be able to determine if communication variables explained differences in patient outcomes with African American patients.

Keywords: African American, Communication

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation