communit y-based education C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 5 0 , Nº 1
Dental Student Community Clinic Placement in Australia and the United States: Systematic Review and Case Study Anna Doan Bowers, DDS; Ove A. Peters, DMD, MS, PhD; Paul Subar, DDS, EdD; Sandra March, BDSc; and Christine I. Peters, DMD
abstract Background: Community-based dental education is increasingly integrated in dental school curricula to promote educational enrichment, to accommodate larger class sizes and to expose students to a broader patient demographic. This review examined community clinic rotations and their impact on dental students’ level of competence in Australia and the United States. Methods: A systematic review identified pertinent literature between 2005 and 2021 from databases including PubMed, SCOPUS and the Cochrane Library. It was limited to studies involving dental student placement at community-based dental clinics and the impact of the community-based dental rotation on clinical competency. Two case studies present data from identical surveys addressing final-year dental students. Results: Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria out of an initial 51 titles identified. Eleven articles addressed community-based dental education (CBDE) in the U.S and five related to Australia. Overall, there was a positive effect following students’ rotation across all outcomes, including treatment planning, diagnosis, time management, clinical skills, productivity and communication/interpersonal skills. In addition, students were found to be more likely to consider employment in rural/underserved areas following these clinic outplacements. These findings were in line with feelings and observation by the selected cohorts of students in Australia and the U.S.
JANUARY 2 0 2 2
49