Secondary prevention of disordered eating behaviors: Psychosocial differences between dental and dental hygiene students

Introduction: A long-standing challenge in oral health (OH) education is preparing students to address oral/systemic health issues with their patients. Whether OH providers address signs of disordered eating (DE) behaviors is strongly associated with related knowledge, attitudes and psychosocial factors. To gain broader insights into educational needs, this study sought to determine the extent to which these factors differ among dental (D) and dental hygiene (DH) students. Methods: As part of a larger study evaluating a web-based training program on secondary prevention of eating disorders, a baseline Likert-type questionnaire was completed by 180 DH and 428 D students in 27 OH classes at ten universities across the U.S. Controlling for potential confounding factors, hierarchical linear models were conducted to identify differences between D and DH students in terms of perceived patient-susceptibility to and severity of disordered eating behaviors as well as the following attitudes of professional and legal role responsibilities, and perceived benefits, barriers, and self-efficacy regarding identifying and addressing signs of DE. Results: DH students scored significantly higher than D students in terms of professional and legal role responsibilities (p<.01), perceived benefits (p=.03), and self-efficacy (p<.001). DH students also reported significantly fewer barriers to addressing signs of DE with patients (p=.03). Conclusion: Differences in attitudes toward identifying, communicating with, and treating patients with signs of DE behaviors exist among D and DH students. Research to determine whether differences carry over into practice is warranted.