title: Dental Students' Clinical Expectations and Experiences Treating Persons with Disabilities.
abstract: Persons with disabilities (PWDs) have a disproportionate level of dental disease relative to the general population. Access to care is a cause along with dentists' willingness to treat PWDs. The aim of this study was to investigate the expectations and experiences of dental students in providing treatment to these patients in a hospital-based dental clinic for PWDs. Senior dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto (n=92) were surveyed prior to (Phase I) and at the end of (Phase II) mandatory clinical rotations at the Mount Sinai Hospital's Dentistry Clinic for Persons with Special Needs. Response rates were 88% for Phase I and 58% for Phase II. Before the rotations, 70% of the respondents reported little or no experience with PWDs, and 46% said they did not feel comfortable providing basic dental treatment to PWDs. However, in Phase II, significantly more students reported being comfortable than in Phase I (p=0.001). Overall, the majority of respondents (Phase I 95%; Phase II 98%) indicated they would at least attempt to provide basic dental care to PWDs after graduation. The majority also identified the opportunity to provide care and interact with PWDs as the most enjoyable aspect of their experience at the clinic. They reported that the experience helped reduce their concerns about treating PWDs including being more realistic about the time required and ideal quality of the treatment they could provide. These results suggest that their experience in the clinic significantly increased students' comfort in treating PWDs. The respondents expressed a willingness to treat PWDs once graduated and generally identified their experience as being more positive than their expectations.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Perusini and Ms. Llacuachaqui contributed equally to this study. Dr. Perusini, currently Clinical Instructor, School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, was a graduate student in Pediatric Dentistry, University of Toronto at the time of this study; Ms. Llacuachaqui is an undergraduate student, School of Health Services Management, Ryerson University and practicum student, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Dr. Sigal is Professor and Head, Discipline of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Dr. Dempster is Associate Professor, Disciplines of Dental Public Health and Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto.
authors.forename: Darsi J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Perusini
authors.affiliation: Dr. Perusini and Ms. Llacuachaqui contributed equally to this study. Dr. Perusini, currently Clinical Instructor, School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, was a graduate student in Pediatric Dentistry, University of Toronto at the time of this study; Ms. Llacuachaqui is an undergraduate student, School of Health Services Management, Ryerson University and practicum student, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Dr. Sigal is Professor and Head, Discipline of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Dr. Dempster is Associate Professor, Disciplines of Dental Public Health and Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Llacuachaqui
authors.affiliation: Dr. Perusini and Ms. Llacuachaqui contributed equally to this study. Dr. Perusini, currently Clinical Instructor, School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, was a graduate student in Pediatric Dentistry, University of Toronto at the time of this study; Ms. Llacuachaqui is an undergraduate student, School of Health Services Management, Ryerson University and practicum student, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Dr. Sigal is Professor and Head, Discipline of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Dr. Dempster is Associate Professor, Disciplines of Dental Public Health and Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sigal
authors.affiliation: Dr. Perusini and Ms. Llacuachaqui contributed equally to this study. Dr. Perusini, currently Clinical Instructor, School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, was a graduate student in Pediatric Dentistry, University of Toronto at the time of this study; Ms. Llacuachaqui is an undergraduate student, School of Health Services Management, Ryerson University and practicum student, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Dr. Sigal is Professor and Head, Discipline of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Dr. Dempster is Associate Professor, Disciplines of Dental Public Health and Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. l.dempster@dentistry.utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Dempster
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D003740:Dental Clinics; D003796:Dental Service, Hospital; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D004497:Education, Dental; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011231:Preceptorship; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D017748:Time Management; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: access to care; dental education; dental students; patients with special needs; persons with disabilities