Attitudes of First-year Dentists toward Dentistry for the Disabled

Objective: We have newly established a Dental Clinical Program related to Disabilities (DCPD) as an elective course for first-year dental residents at Nippon Dental University Hospital. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of first-year dental residents toward dentistry for the disabled, and to compare the attitudes between the dentists who participated in the DCPD and those who did not.

Methods: Ninety-two first-year dental residents (57 males, 35 females) participated in this study. Information was obtained from a self-completed questionnaire consisting of the following items ; experience in volunteer work, opinion regarding the need to have undergraduate courses on dentistry for the disabled, personal interest regarding dentistry for the disabled and desire to participate in dental practice associated with the treatment of disabled people in the future. The data were analyzed using the chi-square statistics.

Results: Forty-one residents selected the DCPD (group1) while 51 residents did not (group2). No significant differences were seen for ages, gender ratio, experience in volunteer work, or necessity for undergraduate courses on dentistry for the disabled among groups1 and 2. However, significant differences were detected in their interest regarding dentistry for the disabled and participation in dental practice associated with the disabled people between the two groups (P=0.007 and 0.022, respectively). However, among female residents, no significant differences for any questionnaire items were found between the two groups.

Conclusion: The perspectives of first-year male dental residents who selected DCPD were more positive toward dentistry for the disabled than for those male residents who did not select this course. The present findings are considered to be helpful for developing strategies to improve the quality of clinical programs for patients with disabilities.