Since 2000, reports have documented the challenges faced by many Americans in receiving oral health care and the consequences of inadequate care such as high levels of dental caries among many U.S. children. To help address this problem, many dental schools now include community-based dental education (CBDE) in their curricula, placing students in extramural clinics where they provide care in underserved communities. CBDE is intended to both broaden the education of future oral health professionals and expand care for patients in community clinics. The aim of this study was to develop a three-year profile of the patients seen and the care provided by students at extramural clinics associated with one U.S. dental school. Three student cohorts participated in the rotations: final-year students in the Doctor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, and Master of Dental Therapy programs. The study was a retrospective analysis of data retrieved from the school's database for three consecutive academic years. The data included patients' demographics and special health care needs status (based on information collected by students from their patients) and procedures students performed while on rotations. For the three-year period, the results showed a total of 43,128 patients were treated by 418 student providers. Approximately 25% of all encounters were with pediatric patients. Students completed 5,908 child prophylaxis, 5,386 topical fluoride varnish, and 7,678 sealant procedures on pediatric patients. Annually, 7% of the total patients treated had special health care needs. The results show that these students in CBDE rotations provided a substantial amount of oral health care at extramural sites and gained additional experience in caring for a diverse population of patients and performing a wide range of procedures.

Community-based dental education (CBDE) has the potential to positively impact the educational process in a manner that both contributes to educational outcomes and shapes the learner's behavior. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between dental students' intended practice location and the size of their hometown and to assess any impact their CBDE rotation in a rural location had on practice location intention. From March 7, 2016, to August 12, 2018, fourth-year students at one U.S. dental school were invited to complete a ten-item questionnaire prior to and after their four-week clinical rotations at a rural clinic. Of the 123 dental students on rotation at the clinic during this time, 106 completed the pre-rotation survey and 112 the post-rotation survey, for response rates of 86% and 91%, respectively. Prior to the rotation, 58.6% selected one of the rural locations as an ideal practice location, and that percentage increased slightly to 61.4% after the rotation; the diference was not statistically signiicant (p=0.984). The results did show a signiicant increase from pre to post rotation for women intending to practice in rural communities (p=0.0413). This study found that students' intent to practice in a rural location was not signiicantly afected by a clinical rotation in a rural clinic; however, there was strong evidence that students from rural communities intended to practice in rural communities after graduation. Keith A. Mays is Associate Dean of Academic Afairs, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry; Donna Rae Schefert is President, Leadership Tools, Northield, MN; Meghan Maguire is Assistant