Evaluating Oral Health Care Among Medical Students

Oral health is important and affects overall health. Medical students face both common and unique barriers to preserving their own oral health care. This study was designed to survey medical students at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMass Chan) to evaluate their oral health hygiene practice and identify barriers to dental care.

We disseminated a 15-question survey to the student body via email, class Facebook pages, and in-person lecture announcements. We used bivariate analyses (using χ² tests) to identify any associations among select variables.

Fifty-four percent of students responded to the survey. Of those, 84% brushed their teeth at least twice a day, however only 63% visited a dentist in the last 12 months. Reported barriers to dental visits included being too busy, not knowing how to find local dentists that accepted student dental insurance plans, and lack of finances especially for Hispanic students. We found no significant differences between preclinical and clinical students, however younger age (<26) was associated with more recent dental visits. Students enrolled in Medicaid had larger gaps in care compared to those with private insurance.

UMass Chan students face barriers to professional dental care and do reasonably well on personal dental hygiene. To improve access to dental care, especially for those on Medicaid, efforts should be made to provide referral resources and consider an on-campus dental clinic. Hispanic students may need more money in their loan package. More study on this topic is needed nationally.