Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene (CJDH)

Background: Social media platforms such as Instagram have emerged as alternative sources for oral hygiene instructions. This cross-sectional study evaluates the usefulness, understandability, and actionability of Instagram oral hygiene instruction posts. Methods: A systematic search of Instagram posts was conducted using the hashtags #dentalhygiene and #oralhygiene. The first 100 posts meeting the inclusion criteria for each hashtag were evaluated using 2 tools: the Oral Hygiene Content Usefulness Score (OHCUS), a newly developed scoring system, and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). The OHCUS assessed the quality and clinical value of posts, while PEMAT evaluated their understandability and actionability. Statistical analysis included the Mann- Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman’s correlation. Results: Among the 200 posts, 110 were videos and 90 were photos. The average number of likes was 2,981.92 (±9,635.64), and the average number of views for videos was 196,583 (±933,509). Seventy-one percent of posts were educational. The mean usefulness score was 2.37 (±1.94), the mean understandability score was 74.4% (±14.87%), and the actionability score averaged 35.6% (±24.37%). Discussion: Posts from oral health professionals, including dental hygienists, were more useful, understandable, and actionable than posts from other sources, with most posts shared by dental clinic accounts. Conclusions: Social media, particularly Instagram, has potential as a platform for disseminating oral health education. However, the quality and reliability of the information vary significantly. Posts from oral health professionals, especially dental hygienists, are more beneficial. Enhancing the quality and accuracy of social media content is crucial to maximizing its public health impact.

Background: Game-based learning aims to promote student engagement and boost motivation in the classroom. However, creating long-term motivation in an education game is challenging and requires a balance between “fun” and “educational” objectives. The gaming platform Gimkit allows educators to create, host, and play quiz-based games in class and host game-based homework in learning management systems. Gimkit was introduced in 2 dental hygiene courses at a Canadian university: one was offered in person; the other was asynchronous online. This study aimed to explore students’ perception of game-based learning experiences, their choice of game modes, and their source of motivation. Methods: Students from the second and third years of the dental hygiene program were invited to participate in a voluntary online survey to collect their perceptions of either the live quiz game or the game-based homework assignments, their choice of game mode, and their motivation to play. Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the survey data. Results: Thirty-five percent (n = 15) of the in-person class and thirty percent (n = 14) of the online class completed the voluntary survey. All participants from the online and in-person groups strongly agreed that they improved their knowledge by playing the game. Discussion: Students were largely motivated extrinsically and played the game to learn course content. Students from the in-person class were driven towards Gimkit live quiz games by in-class competition. For online students, the “challenge of the game” was the most attractive feature of Gimkit. Conclusion: Game-based learning with Gimkit can motivate dental hygiene students and promote self-determination.

Objective: This narrative review explores current research on Indigenous oral health equity (OHE) and proposes a framework and strategies to guide registered dental hygienists in addressing OHE and health disparities experienced by Indigenous Peoples. Methods: An electronic literature search was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar. Full-text, peer-reviewed articles, written in English, and published in Canada within the last 10 years were selected for the review. The relevant grey literature was also included to ensure Indigenous perspectives relating to oral health inequity in Canada were considered and to increase the utility of the proposed strategies. Included articles were analyzed for themes. Results: Ten articles and 6 publications from the grey literature met the inclusion criteria. Discussion: The framework has 4 elements: policy driven changes to dental hygiene regulation, relationship building and allyship, workforce development, and research and education. Strategies within the framework can assist dental hygienists in adapting their approaches to oral health care delivery with Indigenous Peoples and promote OHE by providing inclusive and culturally safer care. Conclusion: Indigenous people throughout Canada have the right to safe oral health care, and dental hygienists can use this framework and these recommendations to promote Indigenous OHE.

Objective: This narrative literature review aims to explore the current landscape regarding the management of patient mental health disclosures and gaps in resources and protocols within Canadian dental and dental hygiene programs. Methods: CINAHL and Education Source databases, and the Journal of Dental Education were used to search for literature published between 2001 and 2023. Results: A total of 54 sources were included, primarily comprising original research articles, systematic and other literature reviews. Discussion: The prevalence of mental health disclosures is rising, with 1 in 5 Canadians living with a mental health condition. Current dental and dental hygiene programs lack explicit protocols for managing patient mental health disclosures, and the literature reveals a scarcity of research on students’ preparedness. This review underscores the importance of adopting humanistic language to reduce stigma and emphasizes educational institutions’ roles in evaluating and facilitating mental health services to support the mental health lived experiences of dental and dental hygiene patients. Conclusion: The review identifies 3 key research gaps: the absence of qualitative research on the student experience of managing patient disclosures, unclear integration of mental health education, and a scarcity of comprehensive evaluations of mental health services. Recommendations include incorporating mental health training in entry-to-practice curricula, aligning with established community support frameworks, and creating dedicated resources for the effective management of mental health disclosures for patients in educational settings.

Objective: Augmented reality (AR) has successfully facilitated clinical training in health professional education. This technology can also accelerate non-clinical classroom education by improving students’ spatial understanding and mental rotation skills, essential for many health professional education programs, including dental hygiene. However, this use has been relatively less explored and evaluated. This review investigates the effectiveness of AR-based tools in nonclinical didactic teaching. Methods: A literature search was conducted in 3 databases using the search terms “augmented reality,” “classroom teaching,” and “health professional education.” Articles were screened first by the title and then by full-text review to identify reports that met the inclusion criteria and were relevant to the research questions. Results: Nineteen articles were included in the narrative review. AR Magic Mirror and ARBOOK were found to be the 2 most-used AR tools in didactic teaching. AR-based teaching tools can reduce cognitive loads and improve knowledge acquisition, spatial understanding, mental rotation skills, attention, motivation, confidence, and satisfaction. Discussion: AR tools can significantly improve students’ learning experiences compared to traditional teaching methods in health professional education. As most AR-based teaching tools are focused on teaching anatomy, many health professional education programs can benefit from these tools. However, qualitative exploration of student and faculty perspectives and development costs are absent from the literature. Conclusion: Didactic learning of basic science concepts such as anatomy is essential to many health professional education programs, including dental hygiene. Dental hygiene can largely benefit from incorporating AR-based teaching tools into classroom education.

Background: Children and adolescents with Down syndrome face challenges in maintaining good oral hygiene routines due to motor and cognitive limitations. This study evaluates the effectiveness of personalized oral hygiene tools and innovative approaches, focusing on custom-designed toothbrushes, to improve oral health outcomes for this population. Methods: A comprehensive review was conducted in compliance with PRISMA-ScR criteria. Keywords related to oral hygiene, toothbrushes, and Down syndrome were used to search 6 databases. Articles on toothbrushing and oral hygiene interventions for children and adolescents with Down syndrome published between 2019 and 2023 were included in the review. Results: The search retrieved 233 studies; 28 duplicates were removed, leaving 205 entries. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 198 records were eliminated based on title and abstract screening, leaving 7 publications for further screening and, ultimately, 4 for review. These 4 studies evaluated a range of therapies, including special needs toothbrushes, toothbrushes with adapted grips, and innovations such as the “Digital Brush.” Discussion: Customized oral hygiene tools were found to enhance plaque control and gum health in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. The findings emphasize the importance of a flexible and diverse approach to oral hygiene programs, advocating for ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration among parents, nurses, and oral health professionals. Conclusions: Personalized oral hygiene tools, such as toothbrushes with adjusted handles, significantly improve plaque control and gum health in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. The study highlights the necessity of a varied approach in oral hygiene programs and calls for further research to quantify these benefits.

Introduction: Melanin-containing mucosal lesions can present a diagnostic challenge due to the presence of a wide range of lesions with a similar clinical appearance. Case description: This is a report of a unique case of the simultaneous presentation of 2 pigmented lesions in a 68-year-old white female patient. Discussion: The first pigmented lesion on the ventral tongue was diagnosed as melanoacanthoma, which does not have any potential for malignant transformation. The ventral tongue is a very unusual location for a melanoacanthoma. Interestingly, another lesion on the buccal mucosa with a similar appearance presented as moderate epithelial dysplasia with increased melanin pigment that has the potential for malignant transformation. Pigmented moderate oral epithelial dysplasia is a very rare condition. The simultaneous presence of a melanoacanthoma would have led to a mistaken assumption of multifocal melanoacanthoma which, although rare, has been described in the literature. Conclusion: These findings reinforce that it is prudent to perform multiple biopsies of all suspicious oral lesions.