Enhancing Allied Dental Health Students' Understanding of Poverty through Simulation

Purpose: Poverty impacts the daily lives of over 40 million Americans. Allied dental health students need to be aware of the oral health barriers experienced by individuals with limited resources. The purpose of this exploratory descriptive study was to evaluate the impact of a poverty simulation exercise (PSE) on students' understanding of daily challenges faced by low-income families.Methods: A total of 34 second-year dental hygiene students and 23 dental assisting students (n=57) participated in a 3-hour Missouri Association for Community Action poverty simulation exercise (PSE). Participants completed a survey immediately following the PSE to determine the degree of change in understanding challenges faced by low-income families. Upon completion of all scheduled community practicum/rotations, participants completed a second survey exploring whether the PSE changed their levels of understanding of the challenges faced by actual low-income families and their impact on oral health.Results: Fifty-five dental hygiene and dental assisting students completed both surveys for a response rate of 96% (n=55). A majority of the respondents (87%, n=46) rated the PSE as extremely valuable in preparing them to understand challenges faced by low-income families and 85% (n=47) indicated encountering families living in situations similar to their role in the PSE. A majority of participants (89% n=48) indicated having a better understanding of how poverty effects oral health status and its impact on access to dental care. In addition, students indicated that they became less judgmental and more empathetic toward low-income families.Conclusions: Results from this study demonstrate that a PSE was effective in eliciting change in allied dental health students' affective perceptions regarding poverty and helped improve their understanding of challenges faced by low-income populations.