title: Medical Providers' Oral Health Knowledgeability, Attitudes, and Practice Behaviors: An Opportunity for Interprofessional Collaboration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of current knowledgeability, attitudes, and practice behaviors of medical providers from a large health care system toward oral health was undertaken as a pilot effort to better understand and integrate oral health into the overall health care delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Invitations to complete a 28-question survey, designed in a web-based platform (SurveyMonkey(®)), were emailed to 1407 medical multispecialty physicians, residents, and nurses within the health system. The questionnaire included sections on provider demographics, oral health knowledgeability and attitudes, and current practice conducting oral health screenings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 14% (n = 199/1407) response rate was achieved for survey completion. There were 16% who reported good coverage of oral/dental health topics in their medical training curriculum. Competency level was <30% for identifying tooth decay and oral pathology. There were 95% who reported never applying fluoride varnish in their practice, while >80% answered knowledge-based questions correctly. Frequency rates for dental referral by the medical providers were 32% 'frequently' and 68% 'infrequently.' Perceptions of optimal frequency for conducting oral health assessment in their professional practices ranged from 69% indicating 'frequently' to 25% indicating 'infrequently.'
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, positive attitudes were observed toward incorporation of oral health examination into medical practice. The study identified lack of oral health treatment and infrequent referral by medical providers to dental providers. Results support likelihood for acceptance of care models that incorporate a medical/dental team-based approach complemented by oral health training for medical providers to enhance holistic health care delivery. Limitations of this pilot study include potential selection bias and lack of generalizability beyond our institution; further studies are planned in additional settings statewide to validate findings.
authors.affiliation: BDS, MM, Institute for Oral and Systemic Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA.
authors.forename: Neel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shimpi
authors.affiliation: MBA, Institute for Oral and Systemic Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA.
authors.forename: Dixie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.affiliation: AuD, Division of Education, Marshfield Clinic, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kilsdonk
authors.affiliation: PhD, Biomedical Informatics Research Center, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA.
authors.forename: Po-Huang
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Chyou
authors.affiliation: PhD, Institute for Oral and Systemic Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Glurich
authors.affiliation: DO, Marshfield Clinic Stettin Center, 3605 Stewart Avenue, Wausau, WI 54401, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Penniman
authors.affiliation: BDS, MS, PhD, Institute for Oral and Systemic Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA; BDS, MS, PhD, Division of Education, Marshfield Clinic, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA. Electronic address: acharyaa@mcrf.mfldclin.edu.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Acharya
mesh_terms: D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D009909:Oral Health; D010820:Physicians; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Attitudes; Health care surveys; Health knowledge; Interprofessional relations; Oral health; Patient care team; Practice