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Operation Toothbrush is an initiative established to combat the oral healthcare disparity within young children who reside in Arizona. By working with elementary and preschool children, the project educated them and their families about the importance of oral hygiene in informative and intuitive manner. The project incorporated the help of Pre-Dental volunteers, dental practices, and the Woodside Grant to obtain the supplies, information, and assistance necessary to conduct the initiative.
ContributorsTsiperfal, Nathan (Co-author) / Mansukhani, Kunal (Co-author) / Virdee, Gitika (Co-author) / Loebenberg, Abby (Thesis director) / Ostling, Michael (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Teeth are an important part of people's lives. A scrutiny of the teeth structure and function is necessary for the public, as well as for pre-dental students going into dentistry. This paper contains the information necessary, in simplest terms, for understanding teeth structure, function, occlusion, and development patterns. The paper also depicts dental problems faced in today's society, such as tooth decay. Treatment options including root canal, crown, implant, dentures, orthodontics, and orthognathic surgery are also described. Having a basic understanding of how dental professionals treat dental problems will allow the general public to identify problems such as decay, teeth loss and malocclusion, and participate in the decision-making process regarding their dental health. It will also allow them to have a realistic expectation for the outcomes of these types of procedures.
ContributorsPark, Steven (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The purpose of this study is to explore the possible factors that influence how patients rate their dentists in the underserved communities and how commonly each factors are mentioned in the articles found from the systematic review. PubMed was used to search the articles with the keywords categorized into 5 different groups, they were: dental/oral, underserved, patient satisfaction, services provided and America. The search resulted in 123 articles and after critical appraisal and review, 19 full text articles were determined to be fully relevant to this project. A table of summarized results from the articles was created and factors of satisfaction from the articles were translated into a category which then was categorize into broader category based on relatedness. Sub-categories that were mentioned at least five times in the articles were cost, insurance acceptance, communication, interpersonal skills, number of treatments, fear/worry/anxiety and pain. According to the findings, quality in terms of interaction and interpersonal relationship between patients and the dentists was most mentioned compared to other factors when it comes to patient satisfaction. Other factors mentioned were external factors, pain, continuity, access, cost, technical qualities, efficiency, convenience, availability and environment. The purpose of this study has been met. The results in this project suggest that dentists in underserved communities could focus on changing the way they deliver their service if they want to improve patient retention and satisfaction.
ContributorsHnin, Ma Myat Thida (Author) / McCullough, Mac (Thesis director) / Riley, William (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Abstract The purpose of this study was to discover the most prominent factors that affect the Arizona population from routinely visiting the dentist. For many people there is a factor of anxiety or fear, while others have issues with cost, insurance, or even the dental clinic environment. My study looks at some of these factors and supports the data with available research on dental avoidance factors. A significant portion of the study is also allotted to potential solutions to these avoidance factors, in order to increase regular dental visitation. Oral health is extremely important not only to the teeth, but also to the rest of the body. Therefore, it is important to address avoidance factors and find potential solutions to these problems. The study involved 71 participants, eighteen years of age or older, and a questionnaire with twenty-one questions. These questions asked the participants about gender, ethnicity, age, employment, reasons for avoidance, oral health education, and past dental experiences. These questions were designed to better understand how a person's background and understanding of dentistry affect their decision to visit the dentist. These questions also provide insight to why certain avoidance factors apply to different groups of people in the Arizona population. The results of the study showed that anxiety, price, insurance issues, and the personality of the dentist are the most prominent factors that cause individuals to avoid the dentist. Potential solutions to these avoidance factors were given, especially for anxious individuals. There are dentists who deal specifically with anxious individuals through sedation dentistry. Regarding price, there were several options for free or low-cost dental clinics that were provided. Preventative dentistry education was an important focus and solution to many of the avoidance factors, because when individuals are more aware of how to care for their teeth, there is a greater chance that they will have healthier teeth and dental visits will be less invasive and costly. Suggestions were provided for spreading oral health education and preventative dentistry through community programs and schools. Among the avoidance factors addressed, solutions provided, and the importance of oral health and preventative dentistry reiterated, the study stressed the importance of the results to my future profession. As a future dental practitioner, the data and research will be used in order for me to become a more compassionate and accommodating practitioner to my future patients. There is a special relationship and trust between the dental practitioner and their patient, and this study has helped me better understand how to accommodate patients and eliminate the factors that cause them to avoid regular dental visits.
ContributorsValimaki, Casey Jordyn (Author) / Washo-Krupps, Delon (Thesis director) / Bang, Christofer (Committee member) / Schoenborn, Scot (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The COVID-19 Pandemic, which nearly shut down the world for several months, had a large impact on the lives of everyone around the world. The pandemic brought many changes to daily life including the loss of jobs, online schooling, weeks in quarantine, and for some, even the loss of a loved one. It was expected that the many abrupt changes increased levels of stress, in turn having a negative impact on oral health throughout society. Aside from this, changes in everyday habits and hygiene also likely had a negative effect on oral health. The overall effect that the pandemic had on oral health was investigated through a survey that was sent out to dental offices across the United States and Canada asking about the rates of clenching and grinding, the rates of cracked teeth, the number of crowns completed, the percentage of missed appointments, and the overall oral health of patients all throughout the pandemic and prior to the pandemic. Data was also collected at St. Vincent de Paul, a public health dental clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, which included the total number of crowns, the total number of appointments, and the total number of missed appointments all before and during the pandemic. It was predicted that all of the stress indicators asked about throughout the survey would have rates that increased throughout the pandemic, as well as that the number of crowns completed and missed appointments at St. Vincent de Paul both would have increased. The majority of the results matched the predictions, supporting the hypothesis that the COVID-19 Pandemic had a negative impact on overall oral health.
ContributorsHarr, Lauren (Author) / Bang, Christofer (Thesis director) / Washo-Krupps, Delon (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2022-12
Description
Strong Mothers Strong Teeth is an initiative to educate mothers and pregnant women about the importance of maintaining their own and their child(ren)’s oral health. This project presents evidence that shows a lack of oral health education among mothers about how to care for their oral health while pregnant and their child’s oral health post birth. The recognition and identification of these disparities led to the content deemed necessary to be included in the education of mothers and pregnant women. By collecting and analyzing pamphlets and information gathered from health clinics and homeless shelters in Arizona and California, we created our own pamphlets based on analysis of the effectiveness of the information using content analysis and Flesch-Kincaid readability scores. This led to the creation of two pamphlets to educate mothers on oral health care, the first focused on preventing tooth decay in women during their pregnancy and for their baby, post-birth, and the second provided a timeline guide on oral health for the mother and child.
ContributorsBlair, Grace (Co-author) / Patel, Toral (Co-author) / Loebenberg, Abby (Thesis director) / Magee, Mitch (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
The maintenance of proper oral health has been shown to be an integral facet of overall well-being, with relationships studied between the progression of life-threatening diseases and improper oral care. Heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis are some of the most common types of diseases that can progress as a result of oral negligence, particularly within the United States, where there is a lack of a universal health care system that encompasses dental care. In addition to the lack of proper access to quality oral care, a lack of adequate education surrounding oral care has been found to be present, particularly in rural and suburban areas in the United States. Project Tooth Fairy, a non-profit volunteer program, was established in order to delve deeper into these issues. This review aims to educate on the correlations between severe disease progression and oral health, as well as to acknowledge the importance of keeping a healthy mouth in regards to overall well-being, through a synthesis of Project Tooth Fairy’s findings.
ContributorsGeorge, Sarah (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Thesis director) / Topal, Emel (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Dental Support Organizations (DSOs) have had a steady increase in popularity since the 2010s. This thesis set out to determine why they have become so popular, and if it would be advantageous to eventually partner with one. It was determined that the steady increase has resulted from a variety of factors including the ability to take advantage of economies of scale, increased cost of schooling, inflated costs of opening a practice, and the wide differentiation of demographics entering the dental industry. The most advantageous factor seemed to be the guaranteed retirement DSOs can provide. Newer DSO models have emerged including IDSOs and DPOs, which provide greater autonomy while incorporating traditional DSO benefits, boosting the popularity of DSOs. These newer models appear to be the best to partner with. In addition, specialty DSOs venture outside of general dentistry to focus on dental specialties like orthodontia and have the potential for higher profitability. DSOs will only become more prevalent with time and are an important tool for any dentist to consider taking advantage of.
ContributorsDillard, Trey (Author) / Chaturvedi, Hitendra (Thesis director) / Fairbanks, Brandon (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2022-05