title: A survey of senior dental students' experiences with young dental patients in Pennsylvania.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine graduating dental students' perceptions about their training and experience in examination and treatment of infants and their plans to examine infants upon graduation. A survey was distributed to dental students graduating from Pennsylvania dental schools in 2007 and 2008. Of the returned surveys, 47.9 percent correctly identified 12 months as the recommended age for the first dental exam. Sixty-five percent of responders felt they would be comfortable performing exams on young children. This study's primary objective was to test the association between performance of a clinical exam in a young child, enjoyment of clinical and didactic pediatric dental experience, plans for additional training in pediatric dentistry and willingness to see children younger than two years old in practice. Performing a clinical exam on a young child was associated to willingness to see children younger than two years of age in practice. Early exposure (lecture or clinical) to young pediatric patients while in dental school was significantly associated to perceived comfort with oral exam of young patients but not to reported willingness to see them in practice.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Department of Oral Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Kristopher
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bennion
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Jena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roath
authors.forename: Rochelle G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Lindemeyer
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010377:Pediatric Dentistry / Q000193:education*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D013335:Students, Dental; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires