Perceptions of oral health education and practice among nursing students in Malaysia and Australia

Abstract

Objective Representing the largest proportion of healthcare workers, nurses play a significant role in oral health (OH) maintenance as part of a larger effort to promote holistic patient care. The study aims to determine nursing students' perceptions of OH education and practice in Malaysian and Australian nursing schools. Materials and methods A self‐administered questionnaire (content‐ and face‐validated) survey was undertaken, classroom style, amongst final‐year nursing students from selected Malaysian (n = 122, Response rate=97.6%) and Australian (n = 299, Response rate=54.7%) institutions. Quantitative data were analysed via Statistical Package for Social Science software (Chi‐square and Fisher's exact tests, p ≤ 0.01). Results Significantly more Malaysian nursing students, compared to those in Australia, reported having encountered patients with OH issues (98.4% vs. 82.9%), namely halitosis (87.7% vs. 62.2%), oral ulcers (63.1% vs. 41.1%), oral/dental trauma (36.9% vs. 21.1%) and caries in children (28.7% vs. 7.7%). Less than half of Malaysian and Australian nursing students reported that they received adequate OH training (48.4% vs. 36.6%, p ≤ 0.01), especially in detecting oral cancer (18.0.0% vs. 22.6%, p ≤ 0.01) and preventing oral diseases (46.7% vs. 41.7%, p ≤ 0.01). Students in both countries demonstrated positive attitudes and believed in their role in OH care. Most students agreed that they should receive training in OH, especially in smoking cessation and providing OH care for patients with special needs. They also opined that a standardized evidence‐based oral hygiene protocol is needed. Conclusion Support for education and practice in this area of patient care suggested positive implications for further development of nurses' roles in OH promotion and management.

Australian nursing students’ perception, knowledge, and attitude towards oral healthcare of older people and associated factors: a national cross-sectional survey

“…The current study reported that the curriculum often missed many important components of oral healthcare, including educating and encouraging older people to maintain their oral health, making appropriate and timely dental referrals, planning oral healthcare, and supervising caregivers to ensure evidence-based oral care is being provided to older people. These results aligned with studies exploring the views of nursing educators in Australia on the adequacy of learning and teaching oral health components in the nursing curriculum [ 18 ]. In a recent study, educators advocated including oral hygiene components of oral healthcare in the curriculum [ 37 ].…”

“…Most of the studies used a convenience sample of nursing students from a single university, so results were not representative of the whole population. The knowledge and attitudes of nursing students concerning oral healthcare of older people were not assessed in the earlier investigations in Australia [ 16 , 18 ]. Therefore, this study aimed to assess nursing students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards oral healthcare of older people.…”

Interprofessional Oral Health Collaboration: A Survey of Knowledge and Practice Behaviors of Hospital-Based Primary Care Medical Providers in New York City

“…34,[37][38][39][40] Studies outside of the US (Malaysia, Australia, India, and Ethiopia) have also demonstrated inadequate oral health knowledge among health-care providers and a call for improvement in their training and skills. [41][42][43] With renewed emphasis on the impact of poor oral health on general health, oral health prevention services (ie, fluoride varnish, caries risk assessment, and anticipatory guidance) and referrals from primary care physicians in obstetrics/ gynecology and chronic disease services are rising. 19 Furthermore, case studies in the US, such as "Into the Mouths of Babes," in which medical providers deliver preventive oral health-care services, have demonstrated that integration of medical and dental care increased access to and coordination of patient care.…”