Recruitment considerations for dental short-term missions relating to the holistic development of dentists

The universal need for dentistry persists and short-term missions (STMs) with dentists can make an incalculable difference to the participants and the recipients when charitable dental treatment is offered to underresourced people. The authors studied the holistic benefits of STMs for dentists, identified how STM detractors can be overcome, and provided recruitment recommendations for engaging dentists in STMs.

The authors of this mixed-methods, phenomenological research explored recruitment recommendations for dentists considering dental STMs via evaluating the holistic benefits and the detractors through the integration of the following developmental areas: emotional, intellectual, physical, moral, social, and spiritual.

Dentist participants revealed a relatively equal distribution of holistic beneficial motivators and encouraged participation in dental STMs. The more diversified detractor responses suggested that STM-experienced dentists were not easily deterred from dental STM participation.

Outcomes of quantitative research instruments and qualitative interviews strongly suggested that dentists favored the benefits of dental STMs, almost equivalently, in 6 holistic developmental areas and generally disagreed that the detractors of dental STMs adversely affected their involvement.

The dentists surveyed advocated for dental STMs as a "life-transforming," developmentally holistic experience that brings caring and hope in action to underserved people globally. Detractors of dental STMs can be overcome, and dentists essentially concurred that quality dental STMs could be performed in portable, often austere, situations. Beneficial recruitment recommendations are presented for dentists contemplating STM participation.