title: Efficacy of a geriatric oral health CD as a learning tool.
abstract: To better prepare professionals to meet the needs of older patients, a self-instructional computer module on geriatric oral health was previously developed. A follow-up study reported here tested the efficacy of this educational tool for improving student knowledge of geriatric oral care. A convenience sampling procedure was used. Sample size calculation revealed that fifty-six subjects were required to meet clinical and statistical criteria. Paired t-test addressed our hypothesis that use of the educational tool is associated with improvement in knowledge. Fifty-eight first-year dental students and nine third-year medical students completed the pre-intervention test and were given the CD-based educational tool. After seven days, all participants completed the post-intervention test. Knowledge of geriatric oral health improved among the sixty-seven students included in this study (p=0.019). When stratified on the basis of viewing the CD-ROM, the subgroup of thirty-eight students who reported not actually reviewing the CD-ROM had no change in their knowledge scores, while the subgroup of twenty-nine students who reported reviewing the CD had a significant improvement in test scores (p<0.001). Use of a self-instructional e-learning tool in geriatric oral health is effective among those students who choose to employ such tools.
authors.affiliation: Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 921 N.E. 13 (11G), Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA. Thomas-teasdale@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Teasdale
authors.forename: Mehtab
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shaikh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016251:CD-ROM; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005850:Geriatric Dentistry / Q000193:education*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires