JDE
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Dent Educ. 72(9): 1020-1028 2008
© 2008 American Dental Education Association
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Pilcher, E. S.
Right arrow Articles by Lancaster, C. J.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Pilcher, E. S.
Right arrow Articles by Lancaster, C. J.

Critical Issues in Dental Education

Development and Assessment of a Cultural Competency Curriculum

Elizabeth S. Pilcher, D.M.D.; Laurine T. Charles, M.H.S.; Carol J. Lancaster, Ph.D.

Key words: assessment, cultural competence, curriculum, dental education, health care, health care disparities

Submitted for publication 12/05/07; accepted 04/21/08

The recent intense attention given to the existence of racial and ethnic health care disparities in the United States has resulted in an enhanced focus on the problem and a call to integrate cultural competence training into health professions curricula. While most dental schools have formally integrated cultural competence into their curricula, the professional literature contains little information regarding the specific types of curriculum modifications necessary to prepare culturally competent dentists. The purpose of this article is to communicate the process and materials used to develop and present didactic curriculum content incorporating cultural competence and to report early data regarding its effectiveness in improving students’ knowledge and self-awareness regarding cultural competence. The preliminary observation of differences between pre-test and post-test scores suggests that the curriculum content may have contributed to developing students’ cultural knowledge and self-awareness. Students’ reflection papers also provided qualitative evidence that experience with the curriculum modules was transformational for some. Recommendations for future curriculum modifications and follow-up research studies to validate the instrument are discussed.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 by the American Dental Education Association.