Evaluation of a Continuing Education Course on Guideline-concordant Management of Acute Dental Pain

Overview

Journal BMC Oral Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Dentistry

Date 2024 Nov 8

PMID 39511562

Authors

Deborah Polk

Anika Roy

Bruce Austin

Flor Cameron

Beverly Isman

Matthew Jacob

Nilesh Shah

Paul Moore

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of a free online continuing education (CE) course that sought to address barriers of capability by training dental team members in the specific recommendations of the American Dental Association (ADA)-endorsed adult guideline for the pharmacologic management of acute dental pain, shared decision-making, and the adoption of the guideline into practice.

Methods: In 2022 and 2023, dentists completed an online, asynchronous CE course on the guideline-concordant pharmacologic management of acute dental pain. They completed 11-item knowledge tests before and after completing the course. Total scores on the pre- and post-tests were compared using a t-test.

Results: The mean score increased from 7.68 (SD = 1.08) on the pretest to 8.79 (SD = 1.35) on the post-test (t = -27.34, p < .01), indicating that dentists gained knowledge from the CE course.

Conclusions: We found that the CE course increased knowledge with respect to the guideline recommendations and shared decision-making but not epidemiology or incorporating a guideline into practice. Future studies should evaluate whether the CE course increased guideline-concordant prescribing.

References

Armstrong D . Clinical autonomy, individual and collective: the problem of changing doctors' behaviour. Soc Sci Med. 2002; 55(10):1771-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(01)00309-4. View

Sarnat H, Arad P, Hanauer D, Shohami E . Communication strategies used during pediatric dental treatment: a pilot study. Pediatr Dent. 2001; 23(4):337-42. View

Khouja T, Shah N, Suda K, Polk D . Trajectories of opioid prescribing by general dentists, specialists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States, 2015-2019. J Am Dent Assoc. 2023; 155(1):7-16.e7. PMC: 10870999. DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2023.10.002. View

Yan C, Lee T, Sharp L, Hubbard C, Evans C, Calip G . Trends in Opioid Prescribing by General Dentists and Dental Specialists in the U.S., 2012-2019. Am J Prev Med. 2022; 63(1):3-12. PMC: 9233039. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.01.009. View

Wiener R, Waters C, Bhandari R, Shockey A, Panagakos F . U.S. Re-Licensure Opioid/Pain Management Continuing Education Requirements in Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, and Medicine. J Dent Educ. 2019; 83(10):1166-1173. PMC: 7561033. DOI: 10.21815/JDE.019.115. View

Al-Ansari A, Nazir M . Dentists' responses about the effectiveness of continuing education activities. Eur J Dent Educ. 2018; 22(4):e737-e744. DOI: 10.1111/eje.12388. View

Dowell D, Ragan K, Jones C, Baldwin G, Chou R . CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain - United States, 2022. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2022; 71(3):1-95. PMC: 9639433. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.rr7103a1. View

Dowell D, Haegerich T, Chou R . CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain--United States, 2016. JAMA. 2016; 315(15):1624-45. PMC: 6390846. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.1464. View

Wu Y, Wei X, Zhou L, E F, Zhu Y, Xu M . The effectiveness of continuing education programmes for health workers in rural and remote areas: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rural Remote Health. 2023; 23(4):8275. DOI: 10.22605/RRH8275. View

10.

Carrasco-Labra A, Polk D, Urquhart O, Aghaloo T, Claytor Jr J, Dhar V . Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic management of acute dental pain in children: A report from the American Dental Association Science and Research Institute, the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, and.... J Am Dent Assoc. 2023; 154(9):814-825.e2. PMC: 10910586. DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2023.06.014. View

11.

Salinas G . CME effectiveness: utilizing outcomes assessments of 600+ CME programs to evaluate the association between format and effectiveness. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2015; 35 Suppl 1:S38-9. DOI: 10.1002/chp.21279. View

12.

Cervero R, Gaines J . The impact of CME on physician performance and patient health outcomes: an updated synthesis of systematic reviews. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2015; 35(2):131-8. DOI: 10.1002/chp.21290. View

13.

Cheng F, Tang L, Lee K, Wei Y, Liu B, Chen M . Online courses for dentist continuing education: A new trend after the COVID-19 pandemic. J Dent Sci. 2023; 18(4):1812-1821. PMC: 10307533. DOI: 10.1016/j.jds.2023.06.020. View

14.

Carrasco-Labra A, Polk D, Urquhart O, Aghaloo T, Claytor Jr J, Dhar V . Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic management of acute dental pain in adolescents, adults, and older adults: A report from the American Dental Association Science and Research Institute, the University of Pittsburgh,.... J Am Dent Assoc. 2024; 155(2):102-117.e9. PMC: 10919895. DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2023.10.009. View

15.

Yan C, Ramanathan S, Suda K, Khouja T, Rowan S, Evans C . Barriers to and facilitators of opioid prescribing by dentists in the United States: A qualitative study. J Am Dent Assoc. 2022; 153(10):957-969.e1. PMC: 10644785. DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2022.05.009. View