RESUMO
Many people suffer poor oral health due to dentists not providing care to them. The number of foreign-trained dentists in the US is increasing, yet little is known about their involvement in providing care to underserved populations. Dental education programs use community-based dental education (CBDE) to expose dental students to access to care issues, and encourage them to provide care to underserved populations upon graduation. The aim of this study was to assess foreign-trained dentists' attitudes about access to care issues after completing a CBDE course at a dental school in the Midwest. Fifty-two dentists participated in the CBDE program from 2018 to 2019, as part of an advanced standing curriculum, and completed guided, reflective essays. Forty-seven dentists agreed to have their essays anonymously coded for research. Four researchers reviewed the essays independently, developed a coding scheme, and recoded to agreement. The main themes dentists mentioned were the affect of the CBDE program on enhancing their clinical skills, fostering an awareness of healthcare system inadequacies, as well as an awareness of how specific social determinants limit access to care, and helping to encourage a sense of personal and professional responsibility to address access to care issues. This study highlights the value of CBDE on helping future dental providers learn about and reflect on access to care issues. It also provides insight into foreign-trained dentists' attitudes about access to care issues, and supports their participation in CBDE programs to foster their contributions in addressing access to care issues in the US.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: Dentists can address childhood obesity by educating patients about mediating factors, such as nutrition and dietary habits, facilitating behavioral interventions, and participating in interprofessional collaborations. Dental schools are encouraged to prepare future dentists to address childhood obesity. The aim of this study was to assess dental students' attitudes, comfort, and perceived barriers discussing nutrition and obesity prevention with parents and caregivers of children aged 0-5, after a one-time service-learning experience in a pediatric primary care setting to promote oral health. METHODS: Following conversations with parents and caregivers, students completed an 11-item survey via Qualtrics. RESULTS: Of 144 second-year dental students that participated in the service-learning experience over 2 years, 101 participated in the survey for a response rate of 70.1%. Most students agreed that dentists' roles include discussing nutrition (98.0%) and obesity prevention (83.2%). During the service-learning experience, 78.2 percent of students discussed nutrition, and 5.0% discussed obesity prevention, with 3.0% and 22.8% of students reporting some level of discomfort with each topic, respectively. The most reported barriers for discussing both nutrition and obesity prevention were concern for "appearing judgmental" and "fear of offending clients." Mean comfort scores among students who reported barriers of "appearing judgmental" (p = < 0.0001) and "fear of offending clients" (p = 0.017) for nutrition discussions, and a "lack of parental acceptance of guidance" as a barrier for discussing obesity prevention (p = 0.016), suggest that those barriers were associated with less comfort. CONCLUSION: Dental students' perceived barriers to discussing nutrition and obesity prevention with parents and caregivers may negatively influence dental students' comfort.