Vandana Bhagat
University of Tasmania, Australia
Title: Incorporating oral health into nursing curriculums - A systematic review
Biography
Biography: Vandana Bhagat
Abstract
Statement of problem: The oral health of older people in residential aged care has been widely identified as poor. The growing number of age care residents, especially those who have retained their teeth, has raised concerns for policy makers when addressing service gaps in the provision of effective and timely oral care. Nurses play an important role in providing oral health care to older people, but currently, it is a low priority. This study synthesized the evidence on incorporating oral health education into the nursing curriculum and evidence on the current attitude and knowledge of nursing students towards oral health.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Three databases PubMed, CINHAL & Scopus were searched using keywords: oral care, oral health, oral hygiene, nursing students, nurse educators, curriculum, knowledge and attitudes. Inclusion criteria were (1) published between 2008-2018, (2) studies written in English, (3) participants being nursing students or nursing educators , (4) based in Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Selected articles were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and data extracted were thematically analysed.
Findings: Few nursing schools incorporated an oral health module in their curriculum or adopted the interprofessional education (IPE) model.This model focusses on teaching nursing students about oral-systematic health connections, with the nursing students working with, learning from, and contributing to the knowledge of dental and allied health professionals. There was poor oral health knowledge and an inconsistent attitude towards oral health practice among nursing students.
Significance: The incorporation of oral health knowledge and effective care into regular nursing education and practice, and adoption of IPE model may contribute to improvement in the attitude of nursing students towards maintaining the oral health of older people in residential aged care.