Perceptions and attitudes among interns of dental colleges in Pune district toward community outreach program: A qualitative study

A Systematic Review: Study on Challenges Faced by Dental Interns in the Workforce: Suggestions for Pacific Nations

“…Furthermore, Khanagar et al (2020) and Sharma et al (2014) found that almost half of the dental interns did not want to work in rural areas after completion of internship. Shinde et al (2018) further elaborate that, none of the 40 dental interns in their study showed any inclination to choose postgraduation in PBH for serving the community.…”

“…Another major challenge dental intern’s face is during their community placement. Introduction of compulsory rural attachment in the internship programme of dental interns has been done, since most dentists usually practice in the cities and treat the affluent parts of the urban population, thus, it is often difficult for the rural population to get access to emergency and basic oral health care (Shinde et al, 2018). This geographical unequal distribution of the dentist–population ratio significantly influences the accessibility to oral health care services and presents a challenging problem in the planning and delivery of quality dental care in these areas (Sharma et al, 2014).…”

“…This geographical unequal distribution of the dentist–population ratio significantly influences the accessibility to oral health care services and presents a challenging problem in the planning and delivery of quality dental care in these areas (Sharma et al, 2014). Rural attachments are referred to as ‘outreach’ or ‘outplacement’ programmes, where mobile dental clinics as well as portable dental equipment are used to provide dental services in the absence of traditional set-ups (Shinde et al, 2018). According to Yoder (2006), community service has the capability to provide dental students with knowledge and motivation to engage into and promote public health by understanding and appreciating the concepts, characteristics and objectives of community service and its impact on the public.…”

“…Community placement was investigated in four studies. Khanagar et al (2020), Sharma et al (2014), Shinde et al (2018) and Thanveer et al (2013) established in their study that dental intern's had faced challenges in their rural placements. The perceived barriers to working in rural areas as expressed by the dental interns were mainly: unfavourable working conditions, poor accommodation, lack of necessary infrastructure, lack of transportation facilities, isolation and lack of recreation, no scope for professional future and being unable to provide specialised services.…”