Caring for the Undocumented
Cultural competence is the ability to connect and communicate with people from different backgrounds and it helps to improve patient-provider communication and trust, increase patient satisfaction and compliance, enhance oral health outcomes and quality of life, reduce risk of malpractice, and support professional development. To achieve cultural competence, dental hygienists should be aware of their own cultural values and biases, as well as those of their patients. They also need to respect the differences and similarities among people of various cultures. Moreover, they must acquire the skills to effectively interact with patients from diverse backgrounds.
* References and figures can be found in the original article via the link above.
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