Perspectives of diabetes educators and dental hygienists regarding strategies to improve oral health for people with diabetes

AIMS: This study aims to explore the opinions of dental hygienists and diabetes educators on improving oral health for people with diabetes. METHODS: Registered dental hygienists (RDHs) and certified diabetes educators (CDEs) who provided written responses to the same open-ended question from two state-wide mailing surveys (one for RDHs and the other for CDEs) “what more can you tell us to help improve oral health for people with diabetes?” were included in this study. The surveys were sent to all RDHs (n=2237) and CDEs (n=250) in the state of South Carolina, United States. RESULTS: Of the 1125 valid returned questionnaires from both surveys, 474 provided written responses to this question. Qualitative analysis revealed three main themes from participants’ written responses which were: Education (3 subthemes: resources for patients, educate the public, and professional practice resources), interprofessional collaborative care (3 subthemes: role of medical and dental professionals in oral health promotion for people with diabetes, and role of dental and diabetes professional organizations, and companies in the oral healthcare industry), and dental insurance. CONCLUSIONS: The three themes that emerged are interrelated indicating that strategies to improve oral health for people with diabetes are multi-faceted.