Dental Hygienists' Attitudes to Treating People With Disabilities: A Comparative Study Between Portugal and Other European Countries

ABSTRACT Aim To analyse and compare the attitude of dental hygienists trained in Portugal (DH‐Portugal) and other European countries (DH‐Other Countries) regarding the treatment of people with disabilities (PwD). Methods A cross‐sectional descriptive study applied an online adapted questionnaire of the ‘Dental Student's Attitudes towards the Handicapped Scale’ that was sent to all dental hygiene associations members of the European Dental Hygienists Federation. The questionnaire collected sociodemographic data, educational experience and instructor perception (Factor 1) and interpersonal attitudes and future interactions with PwD (Factor 2). Statistical analysis included the Independent t ‐test, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests with a significance level of 5%. Results A total of 124 dental hygienists answered to the questionnaire: 66 from Portugal and 58 from other countries. In factor 1, the mean total attitude score for all participants was 4.00 (±0.60), with DH ‐Portugal scoring 4.25 (±0.44) and DH ‐other countries scoring 3.72 (±0.64) ( p = 0.001). For factor 2, the mean score was 4.15 (±0.50) 2.62–5.00, with DH ‐Portugal scoring 4.23 (±0.44) and DH ‐other countries scoring 4.06 (±0.55) ( p = 0.063). Attitudes towards PwD were not different regarding years of experience and number of PwD in a 6‐month period, However involvement in community activities was associated with higher attitude scores ( p = 0.001). Conclusion Although there is global positive attitude towards treatment of PwD, DH‐Portugal demonstrated a more positive attitude compared to DH‐Other Countries, with better educational experience and greater satisfaction with the training received.