Self-reported cultural skills from dental students and graduates from Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Objective: To explore Melbourne Dental School students and graduates' self-assessed levels of competence and skill regarding cultural issues which emerge in dental treatment, and their perceptions of the dental curriculum in addressing socio-cultural issues. Methods: Information was derived from a 59-item questionnaire consisting of three parts: socio-demographic; self-assessed level of culture competency within the clinical encounter; and cultural aspects in the dental curriculum. Data was collected from undergraduate dental students enrolled in the fourth year of 2006 and 2007 and fifth year of 2006 and from dentists who graduated in 2002 and 2003. Results: A total of 133 students and 37 d..