A Pilot Oral Health Continuing Education Program in In-Hospital Medicine

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of the project is to initiate an educational opportunity for hospital based physicians on their understanding of the relationship between oral health and systemic health. The project investigated the current level of oral health knowledge among medical health professionals. Methods: Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) and Mount Auburn Hospital (MAH) offered an oral health session for in-patient clinicians (Hospitalists, Medicine Residents, and Physician Assistants) to investigate the current level of oral health knowledge among medical health professionals and introduce them to the concept of oral health. In-patient clinicians at MAH were asked to fill out a pre-session survey online, regarding their familiarity with basic oral health concepts and their comfort level with performing oral examinations, and a post-session survey on paper that repeated the pre-session questions. Results : Fifty-three in-patient clinicians participated in the pre-session surveys, of which fourteen attended the educational information session and completed the post-session survey. Results showed that the session aided clinicians’ understanding of the relevance of oral health in overall patient care. Conclusion: The oral health education session can be a useful tool in contributing to awareness of oral health and understanding the link between oral diseases with systemic issues for in-patient clinicians.