Dental student's perceptions and experience treating adults with developmental disabilities

Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of dental students with regards to treating adults with developmental disabilities (AWDDs). Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups of participants: experts who extensively work with AWDDs (n = 3), students who had no clinical training to treat AWDDs (n = 3), and students who had completed their clinical training to treat AWDDs (n = 8). One-on-one interviews were conducted in-person or via video call with each participant. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes. Results Experts described their motivations for working with AWDDs. Students in both groups identified the challenges of working with AWDDs and highlighted the impact of the informal curriculum as well as the increased importance of clinical training. Students who had received clinical training described the clinical rotation as a transformative learning experience that instilled a sense of health advocacy. There was alignment of themes between all three groups in terms of skills desired, acquired, and required to work with AWDDs; however, the students who had received clinical training and the experts differed on their opinion of the relative importance of the skills they developed. Conclusions The alignment of perceptions between students and experts is promising and demonstrates the successes of the existing curriculum. The misalignment between students and experts highlights areas in the curriculum that can be improved through adjustments and augmentation.