Integrating Social Determinants of Health Screening in Student Dental Hygiene Clinical Practice.
Purpose Social determinants of health (SDOH) significantly influence oral and systemic health outcomes yet are often unaddressed in dental hygiene clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of integrating SDOH screenings and referrals into a dental hygiene educatio...
| Published in: | Journal of Dental Hygiene Vol. 99; no. 6; pp. 52 - 64 |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article |
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American Dental Hygienists Association
Dec2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=190171397&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 190171397 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 1043254X 0CM jtl: Journal of Dental Hygiene issn: 1043254X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Dec2025 vid: 99 iid: 6 pid: 1936 pub: American Dental Hygienists Association place: Chicago, Illinois artinfo: ui: 190171397 190171397 190171397 190171397 ppf: 52 ppct: 12 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Integrating Social Determinants of Health Screening in Student Dental Hygiene Clinical Practice. aug: au: Swigart, Darlene J. Gurenlian, JoAnn R. McCracken, Andrea A. affil: EPDH, MS, FADHA Dental Hygiene Department Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, OR, USA sug: subj: Education, Dental Hygiene Education, Clinical Social Determinants of Health Education Health Screening Education Referral and Consultation Education Outcomes of Education Learning Evaluation Students, Dental Hygiene Student Attitudes Evaluation Health Services Needs and Demand Needs Assessment Human Adult Middle Age Aged Descriptive Research Questionnaires Safety Transportation Health Services Accessibility Emotions Psychological Well-Being Student Knowledge Empathy Health Literacy Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Aged: 65+ years ab: Purpose Social determinants of health (SDOH) significantly influence oral and systemic health outcomes yet are often unaddressed in dental hygiene clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of integrating SDOH screenings and referrals into a dental hygiene educational clinic and assess the impact on student learning. Methods This two-part, survey-based study included adult patients (n=208) receiving care at a dental hygiene clinic who had completed a validated SDOH needs assessment. Patients with identified needs were referred to community resources using findhelp.org and 211.org, with follow-up conducted via phone calls. A second survey captured reflections from student dental hygienists (n=15) on their experience with the screening and referral process. Results Findings showed that while most patients reported stable housing and food access, a modest number reported concerns related to personal safety, transportation, healthcare access, and emotional well-being. Only a small minority accessed resources post-referral, often due to barriers such as time constraints or that they were not given the website information. Student reflections indicated that the experience increased awareness of patient challenges beyond oral health and fostered empathy, although time limitations and patient discomfort were noted as barriers. Students expressed a variety of views on incorporating SDOH assessments into future practice. Conclusion This study demonstrated that SDOH screening and referral is feasible within dental hygiene education and can enhance student understanding of the broader context of patient care. Further research is needed to determine the experiences of patients and students in other dental hygiene entry-level programs. Future curriculum integration and expansion to additional programs may further support efforts to address health disparities beyond the educational setting to clinical dental hygiene practice. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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