Exploring the Effectiveness of Dental Public Health Education in Enhancing Student Competency for Refugee Care

As global migration rises, dental professionals must be prepared to treat refugee communities' particular oral health needs, emphasizing the need of education and training in readiness to treat these underserved groups.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Dental Public Health (DPH) Field Study course on fifth-year dental students' willingness to provide care for refugee patients.

In this descriptive study, fifth-year students at Hacettepe University's Faculty of Dentistry were invited to participate in this study. Students were categorized into two groups based on whether they had completed the DPH field study course. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing their self-reported knowledge, experience, and attitudes toward refugee patients. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.

Students who completed the DPH field study course reported gaining most of their knowledge about refugees from the course, whereas those who did not complete the course primarily obtained their information through social media. Furthermore, attitudes toward caring for refugee patients were significantly more positive among students who had completed the course (P<0.05). However, the willingness to volunteer for programs providing oral health care to refugee patients was higher among students who had not completed the course. Additionally, a higher rate of volunteering was significantly associated with students who were satisfied with their profession (P<0.05) and tended to be higher among female students (P>0.05).

The DPH field study course positively influenced students' knowledge, experience, and willingness to provide care for refugee patients. Moreover, volunteering to participate in oral health care programs was positively correlated with a professional satisfaction and female gender. Further research involving a larger and more diverse group of students from different faculties is recommended to validate these findings.