Innovations in pre‐doctoral dental education: Influencing attitudes and opinions about patients with substance use disorder

Abstract

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based model for managing patients with substance use disorders (SUD). Historically, SUD were seen as a criminal issue and access to treatment was limited, but that paradigm is shifting and substance abuse is now being recognized as a disease state and the management of patients with SUD is increasingly within the healthcare system starting with primary healthcare settings including dental facilities. In a new training initiative, first-year dental students (DDS1) attended a 90-minute SBIRT training. An Attitudes and Opinion Survey (AOS) consisting of 8 questions that separately assesses DDS1 attitudes toward alcohol and drug use disorders was utilized to evaluate the training. Assenting DDS1 anonymously completed the AOS before and following the training. Over 3 years, we analyzed changes in the AOS of 230 DDS1 using Chi-squared test for bivariate comparison. We then applied a Bonferroni correction to the P-values. Response rate was 95.5%. The SBIRT training improved DDS1 attitudes and opinions toward patients with SUD with respect to all AOS questions. There was a statistically significant improvement (P < 0.003) in DDS1 attitudes and opinions with respect to whether other patients care suffers because of time and resources spent on patients with SUD and whether the SBIRT training provided adequate education to prepare DDS1 to manage patients with SUD. SBIRT training is relevant to dental education. It fills an important educational gap and is a suitable model for other dental schools.