Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Background: As Colorado expands dental scope of practice to include immunizations related to oral and respiratory health, understanding future oral health professionals’ preparedness for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal cancer prevention is essential. This study assessed HPV-related knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to vaccinate among Colorado dental and dental hygiene students. It was hypothesized that greater HPV knowledge and stronger perceptions of HPV prevention as a dental professional responsibility would be associated with willingness to vaccinate.

Methods: Colorado dental and dental hygiene students were recruited to complete an anonymous cross-sectional survey. The survey, adapted from prior dental student HPV research, included HPV knowledge questions and Likert-style items assessing communication comfort, barriers, professional role perceptions, curricular experiences, and vaccine training and administration interest. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses evaluated predictors of willingness to engage in vaccination training and administration.

Results: 88 students were surveyed. 88.6% and 80.7% believed discussing HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer and recommending HPV vaccination are appropriate dental roles, respectively. 93.2% expressed at least some interest in administering HPV vaccines within dental settings. However, only 9.1% reported comfort discussing sexually transmitted infection-related topics with patients. Regression analysis showed willingness to vaccinate was significantly associated with perceiving HPV prevention as a dental professional role (p < 0.001), while HPV knowledge was not independently associated with willingness to vaccinate.

Implications: Oral health students generally support expanded HPV prevention efforts but may benefit from additional communication training and stronger curricular emphasis on HPV prevention. As Colorado implements dental immunization authority, strengthening HPV vaccination education within oral health programs may support interdisciplinary oral-public health collaboration, expand preventive care workforce capacity, and improve access to cancer prevention services. Future work will evaluate educational and systems-level implementation strategies to prepare oral health professionals for vaccine delivery.