Residency programs are increasingly using social media for a variety of purposes. The aim of this study was to assess the views of U.S. pediatric dental residency program directors on their programs’ participation in social media and use of social media in resident selection and education. This cross‐sectional study used an electronic survey sent to all 89 U.S. program directors in 2018 to assess the use of social media and obtain demographic information. Forty‐six surveys were completed, for a 52% response rate. Regarding resident selection, 76% of the responding directors said their programs did not conduct any online assessment of residency candidates, although 51% responded that social media postings could influence their decisions. For resident education, 78% said their programs did not provide training in challenges posed to evidence‐based dentistry by social media, yet 89% expressed concern about the influence of expert opinions via social media on clinical decision making. Regarding participation in social media, 50% of respondents said their programs used social media to promote the program. These results point to a need for further evaluation of possible knowledge and behavior gaps among residency program directors and for development of formal social media assessment and education models for use in pediatric dentistry and other residency programs.
Introduction. Few studies have investigated the concerns of caregivers of adolescents with special health-care needs (ASHCN) regarding the barriers and challenges of transitioning from a pediatric to an adult-based dental home. The purpose of this study was to assess these perceptions. Methods. A 23-question survey was administered to guardians of ASHCN who presented to the pediatric dental clinic at the University of Maryland. Question types were either multiple choice, Likert scale responses, or open-ended. A descriptive analysis and Fisher’s exact test were performed. Keywords were evaluated from the open-ended answers. Results. Twenty-seven caregivers completed the survey over a six-month period. Sixty-six percent of caregivers were aware that dental needs change as child ages and thought that transitioning was a logical next step, 78% had concerns about transitional care, and 70% did not have the desire to transition. Fisher’s exact analysis comparing awareness of transition versus the desire to transition was
p
<
0.10
. Conclusion. Most caregivers were aware of the changing dental needs of ASHCN and believed transitioning was a logical step. Many caregivers lacked readiness and perceived multiple barriers to transitioning. Awareness of the need to transition from pediatric to adult-based dental homes was not correlated with the readiness to transition.
Purpose
This cross‐sectional study assessed the perceptions of pediatric dental residency program directors (PDs) regarding policies and attitudes on pregnancy and parenthood during residency training.
Methods
A 28‐item electronic survey was administered to PDs of pediatric dental residencies in the United States. Statistical tests were performed. Variables were reported as counts (percentages) and compared using Fischer's exact test and chi‐squared tests at a significance level of 0.05.
Results
Forty‐two of the 97 PDs completed the survey for 43% response rate. Almost all programs had a formal maternal leave policy, but perceptions and policies varied regarding the effects of both pregnancy and parenthood on residents during training. Chi‐square results compared if parenthood had a negative impact on the well‐being a female trainee versus a male trainee had a p‐value < .05.
Conclusions
There appeared to be a lack of national uniformity regarding program policies on parental leave. Most PDs perceived having a child during residency had at least one negative effect on their female residents. Finally, PDs were likely to perceive parenthood to adversely impact the well‐being and work of female trainees more so than their male counterparts.
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