Process, outcome, and impact evaluation of the ohio state university DentPath postbaccalaurate program

Despite the progress in increasing racial and ethnic diversity in dental school programs in the United States, minority dental students still remain underrepresented when compared with the total population. As a result, dental education programs have been attempting to increase the number of students from underrepresented and underserved communities in their programs.

The purpose of this study was to conduct process, outcome, and impact evaluations of the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Dentistry's (CoDs) DentPath Program.

Upon Institutional Review Board approval, this study utilized a computer-assisted telephone interview research design of graduates from the OSU CoD DentPath Program. Forty closed and open-ended questions were asked during the structured interview. Descriptive and thematic analyses were used to analyze the data.

The data from 25 eligible graduates were analyzed, which represented a 100% response rate. Process evaluation revealed 100% (n = 25) of the participants expressed satisfaction with their DentPath experiences and recommendations for improvement were provided. Outcome evaluation revealed the participants treated patients using Medicaid (range: 20%-90%, n = 5) or a sliding scale (range: 5%-85%, n = 3) for payment and 36% (n = 9) of the participants regularly treated underserved populations outside of their regular practice settings. Impact evaluation revealed 68% (n = 17) participants reported the DentPath Program had no impact on their practice location.

Future research is needed to determine methods to promote the transition of DentPath students through dental school and into underserved communities.