Analysis of Article about Integration of Oral Health Care and Mental Health Services by DeBate - Assignment Example

The data applied in the study was collected from a sample population of 378 dental hygienists through a randomized cross-sectional study. Researchers in this study applied the simple random technique in selecting the sample of 1000 dentists from a large population of dentists drawn from the American Dental Association membership (DeBate, Plichta, Tedesco & Kerschbaum, 2006). However, through a statistical significance basis, the sample was reduced to 378 dentists the minimum sample. Data obtained in the study was analyzed using SPSS 12.

0 together with other statistical techniques such as chi-square and logistic regression models. The study results revealed that only 43.9% of dental hygienists identified disordered behaviors among their patients. In addition, only about 18.7% put patients identified with oral manifestations of disordered eating on prevention programs (DeBate, Plichta, Tedesco & Kerschbaum, 2006). Several eating-disordered health beliefs were identified as affecting the readiness to engage in preventive behaviors with knowledge of the oral cues of eating disorders emerging as a major factor in influencing dentists’ ability to identify the oral manifestation of the concerned condition.

Other factors identified in the study as influential in the engagement in secondary preventive behaviors included demographic factors, health beliefs, and knowledge. The HBM was particularly influential in the assessment of factors influencing behavioral change. Through the HBM model, the study demonstrates that willingness to indulge in prevention and screening behaviors was greatly influenced by the belief that the behaviors have the potential to reduce susceptibility to the oral health condition.

Factors such as benefits associated with certain health behaviors, susceptibility, and attitudes emerge as the most influential factors in determining the readiness to integrate oral health and mental health services (DeBate, Plichta, Tedesco & Kerschbaum, 2006). Application of the Transtheoretical Model in this study was particularly important in facilitating the assessment of the readiness among the dental practitioners to promote the prevention behaviors, perceived as the most likely means to limit eating disorders in the patients they serve.

A combination of the two models emerged as essential in establishing the relationship between the identified behavioral patterns and the factors that influence the development of the behaviors (DeBate, Plichta, Tedesco & Kerschbaum, 2006). The study established a generally low level of readiness among dental hygienists in promoting secondary prevention behaviors for eating disorders. Dental hygienists providing specific home care were found to be the most consistent in practicing secondary preventive behaviors.

On the other hand, very few dental hygienists communicated to the patient’s primary healthcare providers about the oral manifestation of the eating disorders upon interacting with the patients (DeBate, Plichta, Tedesco & Kerschbaum, 2006). This was found to be another major setback in integrating dental health with mental health services. The study reveals that dental health care providers are adamant to speak to patients about their eating disorders as well as communicating with their primary health providers, a phenomenon that limits efforts to address the problem.