116 - Assessing Pediatric Dentists’ Knowledge About the Foster Care System

Abstract:

Purpose: The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) supports “pre- and postdoctoral programs as well as continuing education courses that include training oral health care professionals in cultural safety and social concerns for vulnerable populations”, which includes children in foster care, The objective of this survey was to determine the current knowledge, level of experience and formal education of pediatric dentists working with foster children.

Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of an 11-item questionnaire sent out via email to pediatric dentists who are members of the AAPD including residents, program directors, and practicing dentists. The survey was hosted by SurveyMonkey to meet security standards for the transmission of online data. Transport layer security protocol was used to encrypt and transmit data which are frequently backed up in an encrypted storage. Two reminder emails were sent one and two weeks after the initial invitation.

Results: 7,286 emails were delivered, and 326 responses were received for a response rate of 4.5%. 90% agreed that foster children face unique barriers (Fig 1), but there was no consensus about lack of follow up after initial visits (Fig 2).There was no difference in any responses between participants in the top 3 states (p=0.091) (Fig 4). Consent authority was attributed more to state courts/care agencies than birth/foster parents (Fig 5). There was no difference in the number of foster children seen (Fig 7) between Hospital/University/Combined programs (p=0.305). Participants had few lectures on foster care (Fig 8) and the majority believe additional courses would be valuable (Fig 9).

Conclusions: This is the first study to our knowledge to evaluate knowledge, experience, and education among pediatric dentists about foster care. This study confirms previous findings that foster children face unique oral health barriers. These results demonstrate the need for more formal education. Future studies are warranted in terms of the role of dental curricula in facilitating knowledge.

References:

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Policy on care for vulnerable populations in a pediatric dental setting. The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry. Chicago, IL: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; 2025:52-60.

Supporting Agency and Grant Number: N/A