Online education is effective in encouraging people with dental pain to visit the dentist, according to a study conducted by Aetna Dental in partnership with the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.
To recruit participants for the study, Columbia University researchers invited subscribers of the Aetna Member Essentials online newsletter to its secure dental pain and sensitivity website. More than 450 people who were experiencing tooth pain or sensitivity took part in the study.
People who visited the site were given the opportunity to take a survey to assess their dental pain, followed by a short educational module. Participants were then engaged in a brief postsurvey to measure what they had learned from the educational portion.
"It was surprising to find that approximately 97% of the study participants reported experiencing pain or sensitivity, and, of those, nearly 5% reported missing an average of four days of school or work due to their pain and sensitivity experience," noted David Albert, D.D.S., M.P.H., an associate professor at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and principal investigator on the Pain and Sensitivity study, in a press release.
The study also revealed that:
- 61% of people surveyed said the information they received from the website had influenced them to visit the dentist.
- 37% said what they learned would help them change how they handled their dental pain.
- 5% admitted missing work or school because of their pain, and almost 12% said they often change their nonwork activities because of it.
- 81% had dental insurance.
"The results of this study are promising because they show that it is possible to influence people to pursue dental care and pursue it earlier," said Mary Lee Conicella, D.M.D., Aetna's chief dental officer.
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