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Rural dentists: does growing up in a small community matter?
Kimberly K McFarland1, John W Reinhardt, Muhammad Yaseen
1Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 40th & Holdrege St., Lincoln, Neb. 68583, USA. kmcfarland@unmc.edu
Journal of the American Dental Association (1939)
|September 4, 2012
Summary
Dental students from rural backgrounds are six times more likely to practice in rural areas after graduation. This finding highlights the importance of recruiting rural dentists to ensure access to dental care in underserved communities.
Area of Science:
- Dental Public Health
- Health Workforce Research
Background:
- The aging dental workforce impacts patient access, particularly in rural areas.
- Rural students are anecdotally more likely to practice rurally, but data for dentistry is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if dental students from rural origins are more likely to practice in rural communities.
- To examine the influence of student sex on rural practice location.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of dental student records (1980-2010) from a Midwestern dental school.
- Correlated town of origin size with post-graduation practice community size.
- Included analysis of student sex as a variable.
Main Results:
- Dentists from rural origins were ~6 times more likely to practice in rural areas than urban-origin dentists.
- Female dentists showed a slightly lower likelihood of rural practice compared to male dentists.
Conclusions:
- Dental practitioners from rural communities demonstrate a higher propensity to practice in rural settings.
- Strategies to ensure rural dental care access should involve actively recruiting or collaborating with rural-origin dental students.
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