STEPS (Study To Examine Parent, Patient/Dental Provider Systems) to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers: A formative assessment of HPV educational engagement of the dental practice.

Objective: Dental clinic oropharyngeal human papillomavirus (HPV) patient education remains understudied. Using a descriptive analysis approach, this study aimed to understand Appalachian Ohio dental clinics' provider knowledge on HPV, structural compositions for education, patient education approaches, and demographics. Methods: Surveyed Appalachian Ohio general and pediatric dentists responded to HPV education attitude statements and estimated their HPV vaccine recommendation frequency. Staff completed environmental scans about staff composition, structural capacity for general education, and HPV educational efforts and materials. Descriptive analyses were compared by clinic type. Results: All dentists (n=14) believed patients were at-risk for HPV-related cancers and most (≥64%) agreed that the HPV vaccine was safe and effective. Most felt unprepared to educate patients on HPV (64%) and few frequently recommended the HPV vaccine (14%). No clinic shared materials with patients despite most having sufficient display space (75% for ≥2 material types). Older dentist clinics were more actively engaged in HPV education, made more vaccine recommendations, and had more capacity for additional education; younger dentist clinics had more personnel that were more confident in their communication skills and the HPV vaccine. Conclusions: Appalachian dentists rarely educated patients about the HPV. Targeted educational materials and training are needed to support these providers in providing this vital information.