Dental Students’ Attitudes Toward Underserved Populations Across Four Years of Dental School

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess dental students' attitudes toward underserved populations across their four years of dental school. Students at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California were invited to take part in the study. Participating students completed a questionnaire on their attitudes toward the underserved at three time points: 1) during orientation week; 2) at the end of their second year after taking part in some community dental programs; and 3) at the end of their fourth year after they had completed all their mandatory and volunteer rotations in community dental programs. Students' attitudes were measured in four categories: societal expectations, dentist/student responsibility, personal eficacy, and access to care. First-year students scored 85 out of a maximum of 115 on the questionnaire. Female students scored higher than male students (P=0.006). Age, debt, and past history of volunteer work were not related to irst-year students' total attitude scores; however, students with a history of volunteer experience scored higher on the dentist/student responsibility category (P=0.04). Students' attitude scores declined across the four years of dental school (P=0.001). The same patterns were evident for all categories except societal expectations. The decline was not related to age, gender, debt, or volunteer work experience. Follow-up studies are needed to help explain the factors that may be related to this decline.

Dental Students' Attitudes About Treating Populations That Are Low‐Income Rural, Non‐White, and with Special Needs: A Survey of Four Classes at a U.S. Dental School

“…Intent to serve at‐risk patients did not appear to change much as the students progressed through dental school. Some prior research indicated a negative effect of dental education and practice on provider attitudes about service to at‐risk populations 22, 30 . In Habibian et al's study, students reported feeling personal responsibility and impact‐potential for treating populations with low income, although their self‐reported capability declined over time 22 .…”

“…Some prior research indicated a negative effect of dental education and practice on provider attitudes about service to at‐risk populations 22, 30 . In Habibian et al's study, students reported feeling personal responsibility and impact‐potential for treating populations with low income, although their self‐reported capability declined over time 22 . Our study's findings did not indicate such a trend based on advanced class status, but coincided with a general feeling of personal responsibility among these students towards at‐risk populations.…”

“…And how positive and prepared would students report feeling about treating such populations? There is some evidence that the educational experience itself affects practitioner attitudes 22 – 24 . Therefore, in addition to addressing these questions, we wanted to collect baseline data prior to implementation of the multifaceted training program.…”

Dental Students' Non‐Clinical Learning During Community‐Based Experiences: A Survey of U.S. Dental Schools

“…23 On the other hand, dental students' expressions of less positive attitudes towards volunteerism and underserved populations between the irst and fourth years of dental school could be rooted in their growing awareness of such issues and their uncertainty about being able to have a signiicant impact on the reduction of oral health inequities. 24,25 Although there is a body of literature on the beneits of CBDE programs to dental students, there is limited evidence of the type of content delivered to enhance students' knowledge of elements that impact the populations treated and how the students' knowledge of these elements is assessed. In addition, since 2003, 13 new DDS/DMD programs have been established, with nine of those opening between 2010 and 2018.…”

Dental Students' Intent to Practice in Rural Communities Before and After Community‐Based Rotations in a Rural Area

“…6 Other studies have reported that CBDE improved students' ability to provide care for patients from low-income and underserved populations as well as inluenced their intention to practice in rural settings. [7][8][9][10] However, it is unclear from prior research what speciic elements of these rotations help bring about changes in graduates' values and behavior. For example, is it merely that students are exposed to rural, underserved, and diverse patient populations, or are intentional elements needed to develop these desired value and behavioral changes?…”