Date of Award

Spring 5-25-2024

Document Type

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscript

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Isis Cunningham, DNP, APRN, NP-C, CPNP-PC

Abstract

Background: Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease. In early childhood, it is associated with many negative factors such as pain, loss of teeth, and impaired growth. Fluoride varnish (FV) is a protective resin coating treatment that is reimbursable by most insurances and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), and the American Dental Association (ADA) due to its high efficacy in preventing dental caries. FV is a low-cost treatment that can be easily applied in 1-2 minutes during a well-child visit in the primary care setting, where children are seen frequently by primary care providers in the first few years of life.

Objectives: To educate pediatric primary care providers on FV treatment and increase their willingness to provide these treatments in clinical practice, therefore setting the foundation for FV implementation in the pediatric primary care setting.

Methods: A one-time FV treatment educational session was given to pediatric primary care providers. A pre- and post-survey was provided to the providers to measure knowledge level and willingness to provide FV treatment before and after the educational session.

Results: Results concluded that the pediatric primary care providers had and increased knowledge of FV treatments and were more willing to offer these treatments in their clinical practice at the 1-week post-education mark.

Conclusions: Future research is needed to further assess the implications and outcomes of FV education and treatment implementation in the pediatric primary care setting.

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