Dentists' Comfort in Treating Underserved Populations After Participating in Community‐Based Clinical Experiences as a Student

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to determine new dentists’ comfort levels in treating traditionally underserved populations after participating in two consecutive five‐week community‐based clinical experiences while in dental school. A written survey was mailed to all known University of Iowa alumni (1992–2002; N=745). Respondents were asked to rank their comfort levels in treating twelve underserved populations on a five‐point Likert type scale (5=no problem; 1=will not). Bivariate and logistic regression model analyses were performed to examine associations (p<0.05) among comfort and six predictor variables. Alumni (n=372) were most comfortable treating other ethnic, low‐income, non‐English‐speaking, and HIV+/AIDS populations and least comfortable treating incarcerated and homebound populations. The following variables were significantly associated with comfort: 1) perception that the community experiences had great/much value; 2) practice located in larger communities; 3) non‐solo practitioners; and 4) dentist's gender. As more dental schools utilize community‐based clinical experiences to increase students’ exposure to underserved populations, it is important that these experiences provide exposure to a variety of populations. Additionally, dental schools should continuously monitor the short‐ and long‐term value of these programs for their students and recent graduates.