The aim of this study was to assess which variables were associated with dental students' anticipated willingness to treat 13 underserved populations as dentists five years after graduation. A questionnaire was distributed from 2008 to 2014 to all 240 first- through fourth-year dental students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics. Only participants who completed surveys in each of their four years (n=132) were included in data analysis. The results showed that professional and personal interactions with each population, along with feeling comfortable and competent in treating a population, were most often associated with the students' anticipated willingness to treat underserved populations. In contrast, the participants' personal and demographic variables were less frequently associated with an anticipated willingness to treat underserved populations. In addition, shadowing a dentist before dental school and volunteering, either before or during dental school, were rarely associated with participants' anticipated willingness to treat underserved populations. These findings suggest that providing dental students with multiple positive opportunities to treat underserved populations may help them become more willing to treat underserved populations after they graduate.
Keywords: access to care; dental care access; dental education; dental students; oral health care for the underserved; willingness to treat.