Biomaterial Database

Educating dentists about fissure sealants: effects on knowledge, attitudes, and use. 1991

W P Lang, and M M Farghaly, and M W Woolfolk, and T L Ziemiecki, and B W Faja

School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

This study evaluated the effects of three modes of education on dentists' knowledge, attitudes, and use of pit and fissure sealants. A randomly selected group of dentists was invited to participate in a sealant education initiative. During a 12-month period, a total of 662 dentists either (1) attended continuing education courses, (2) received written materials and videotapes by mail, or (3) received only written materials by mail. A comparison group (n = 337) received no materials until after the education phase and evaluation had been completed. Pre- and postintervention surveys were used to measure changes in knowledge, attitudes, and sealant use. Response rates to the two surveys were 62 percent and 76 percent, respectively. Preintervention values for knowledge scores, an attitude scale, and sealant use were similar among the four groups. At followup, the three education groups had significantly higher knowledge scores than the comparison group. Attitude values for all but one group were not significantly different, and sealant use by all groups was identical. The numbers of respondents not using sealants declined slightly between surveys in the three education groups while rising slightly in the No-Education Group. Because program outcomes were similar to those of another sealant initiative, it can probably be concluded that continuing education will increase dentists' knowledge about sealants, but have little effect upon their attitudes or their use of the technique. The changes observed in this investigation may be due to the particular capacity for cognitive and affective changes of participants, characteristics of the technology being promoted, and external forces in the professional environment.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008824	Michigan	State bounded on the north by the Great Lakes, on the east by Canada, on the south by Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, and on the west by Lake Michigan and Wisconsin.
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D010349	Patient Compliance	Voluntary cooperation of the patient in following a prescribed regimen.	Client Adherence,Client Compliance,Non-Adherent Patient,Patient Adherence,Patient Cooperation,Patient Noncompliance,Patient Non-Adherence,Patient Non-Compliance,Patient Nonadherence,Therapeutic Compliance,Treatment Compliance,Adherence, Client,Adherence, Patient,Client Compliances,Compliance, Client,Compliance, Patient,Compliance, Therapeutic,Compliance, Treatment,Cooperation, Patient,Non Adherent Patient,Non-Adherence, Patient,Non-Adherent Patients,Non-Compliance, Patient,Nonadherence, Patient,Noncompliance, Patient,Patient Non Adherence,Patient Non Compliance,Patient, Non-Adherent,Therapeutic Compliances,Treatment Compliances
D010818	Practice Patterns, Physicians'	Patterns of practice related to diagnosis and treatment as especially influenced by cost of the service requested and provided.	Clinical Practice Patterns,Physician's Practice Patterns,Clinical Practice Pattern,Pattern, Clinical Practice,Patterns, Clinical Practice,Practice Pattern, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Physician's,Prescribing Patterns, Physician,Physician Practice Patterns,Physician Prescribing Pattern,Physician Prescribing Patterns,Physician's Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Patterns,Practice Pattern, Physician's,Practice Pattern, Physicians',Practice Patterns, Physician,Prescribing Pattern, Physician
D010895	Pit and Fissure Sealants	Agents used to occlude dental enamel pits and fissures in the prevention of dental caries.	Dental Sealant,Dental Sealants,Fissure Sealant,Fissure Sealants,Pit And Fissure Sealant,Pit Fissure Sealant,Sealants, Tooth,Pit Fissure Sealants,Sealants, Dental,Fissure Sealant, Pit,Fissure Sealants, Pit,Sealant, Dental,Sealant, Fissure,Sealant, Pit Fissure,Sealant, Tooth,Sealants, Fissure,Sealants, Pit Fissure,Tooth Sealant,Tooth Sealants
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D003815	Dentists	Individuals licensed to practice DENTISTRY.	Dentists, Pediatric,Dentists, Prosthetic,Dentists, Restorative,Periodontists,Prosthodontists,Dentist,Dentist, Pediatric,Dentist, Prosthetic,Dentist, Restorative,Pediatric Dentist,Pediatric Dentists,Periodontist,Prosthetic Dentist,Prosthetic Dentists,Prosthodontist,Restorative Dentist,Restorative Dentists
D004363	Drug Utilization	The utilization of drugs as reported in individual hospital studies, FDA studies, marketing, or consumption, etc. This includes drug stockpiling, and patient drug profiles.	Utilization, Drug,Drug Utilizations,Utilizations, Drug
D004498	Education, Dental, Continuing	Educational programs designed to inform dentists of recent advances in their fields.	Dental Education, Continuing,Continuing Dental Education,Continuing Dental Educations,Dental Educations, Continuing,Education, Continuing Dental,Educations, Continuing Dental
D005069	Evaluation Studies as Topic	Works about studies that determine the effectiveness or value of processes, personnel, and equipment, or the material on conducting such studies.	Critique,Evaluation Indexes,Evaluation Methodology,Evaluation Report,Evaluation Research,Methodology, Evaluation,Pre-Post Tests,Qualitative Evaluation,Quantitative Evaluation,Theoretical Effectiveness,Use-Effectiveness,Critiques,Effectiveness, Theoretical,Evaluation Methodologies,Evaluation Reports,Evaluation, Qualitative,Evaluation, Quantitative,Evaluations, Qualitative,Evaluations, Quantitative,Indexes, Evaluation,Methodologies, Evaluation,Pre Post Tests,Pre-Post Test,Qualitative Evaluations,Quantitative Evaluations,Report, Evaluation,Reports, Evaluation,Research, Evaluation,Test, Pre-Post,Tests, Pre-Post,Use Effectiveness