A Community Engaged Dental Curriculum: A Rural Indigenous Outplacement Programme

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Dental Education
• Indigenous Health

Background:

• Indigenous populations globally experience disproportionately poorer oral health outcomes compared to non-Indigenous citizens.
• Oral health outplacement programs are a key strategy to improve Indigenous oral health by enhancing service delivery.
• An Australian case study highlights successful engagement between an educational institution and an Indigenous oral health service.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact and outcomes of an Indigenous oral health outplacement program for dental students.
• To evaluate the program's effectiveness in improving students' understanding of Indigenous issues and their likelihood to practice in Indigenous health.
• To examine the benefits of university-public health sector collaboration in Indigenous healthcare.

Main Methods:

• The study assessed an ongoing outplacement program from 2008-2014 using student feedback.
• Student feedback was collected via a 5-point Likert scale to measure agreement with program outcomes.
• Data included student perceptions of understanding Indigenous issues, intent to practice in Indigenous health, and satisfaction with support.

Main Results:

• Students reported improved understanding of Indigenous issues (mean 4.10 ± 0.8).
• The program increased the likelihood of students practicing in Indigenous health (mean 3.66 ± 1.0).
• Students were highly satisfied with the support from clinical supervisors and clinic staff (mean 4.28 ± 0.8).

Conclusions:

• Structured student outplacements effectively build cross-cultural relationships, particularly with Indigenous communities.
• University engagement with the public health sector yields mutual benefits for educational institutions and health services.
• The program prepares future dental practitioners for public health roles and builds trust with Indigenous patients receiving care from non-Indigenous clinicians.