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J Dent Educ. 70(12): 1308-1315 2006
© 2006 American Dental Education Association
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Critical Issues in Dental Education

General Dentists and Pediatric Dental Patients: The Role of Dental Education

John P. Rich, III, M.P.H.; Lloyd Straffon, D.D.S., M.S.; Marita Rohr Inglehart, Dr. PhiL.HabiL.

Key words: pediatric patients, children, dental care, underserved patients, access to care, dental education

Submitted for publication 05/02/06; accepted 08/19/06

The objective of this study was to investigate whether undergraduate dental education affects general dentists’ practice characteristics, attitudes, and professional behavior concerning the treatment of pediatric patients. Data were collected with a self-administered mailed survey from 241 general dentists who were members of the Michigan Dental Association (response rate=48.2 percent). While 40.4 percent of the respondents reported that their dental education had prepared them well to treat child patients, only 33.4 percent indicated that their clinical education had prepared them well. The level of educational preparedness was significantly correlated with a) practice characteristics such as how well the practice was set up to treat children and how knowledgeable and comfortable the staff was concerning providing care for children, b) attitudes concerning the treatment of child patients, and c) professional behavior such as the types of services provided for child patients versus the number of referrals made. The findings strongly suggest that educational experiences concerning the treatment of pediatric dental patients will shape future dental care providers’ attitudes and professional behavior. Given the lack of access to dental care for children, it seems crucial to carefully evaluate undergraduate dental curricula to ensure that future dental care providers receive sufficient educational and especially clinical experiences concerning the treatment of child patients.




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