379 - Assessment of Eating Disorder Inclusion in the Oral Health Curriculum

Purpose: This study sought to evaluate U.S. dental (DDS/DMD) and dental hygiene (DH) programs’ curricular content regarding eating disorder detection, intervention, and referral services.

Methods: A 25 item questionnaire was distributed electronically via Qualtrics to 400 dental doctoral deans and dental hygiene program directors in the United States between June and December 2022. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparisons between DDS/DMD and DH programs were carried out using chi-squared and non-parametric tests (e.g., Wilcoxon). 

Results: Complete responses were received from 11 DDS/DMD and 57 DH programs. The vast majority (96%) of programs included eating disorder-related courses and lectures, with DDS/DMD and DH programs devoting similar times on this topic (medians times were 135 and 90 minutes, respectively; P=0.2). Virtually all respondents (99%) agreed that early detection of eating disorders is important and oral health professionals have a crucial role in this regard. However, only half of programs reported referring patients for eating disorder-related evaluations, 32% had identified appropriate referral agencies, and only 9% had established a point person for such referrals. Most respondents (57%) suggested that the COVID pandemic worsened issues related to eating disorders.

Conclusions: The study’s results affirm the importance of eating disorders as topic needing more attention in the oral health professionals’ training curricula and highlight several areas where specific curricular interventions can be made.