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. 2024 Jan;88(1):5-15.
doi: 10.1002/jdd.13376. Epub 2023 Sep 22.

Increasing dental and medical students' understanding of race as a social construct

Linda S Nield  1 , Emily K Nease  2 , Lesley E Cottrell  2   3 , Kathryn S Moffett  4   5 , Renee B Saggio  2   6 , Shelia S Price  7
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Increasing dental and medical students' understanding of race as a social construct

Linda S Nield et al. J Dent Educ. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: To improve health equity, dental and medical students must have a firm grasp of the proper use of race as a social construct. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which an innovative learning event affected students' understanding of race as a social construct. It also sought to examine the effects that personally experienced and/or witnessed racism and previous education had on students' responses to the learning event.

Methods: In 2022, all incoming first-year dental (N = 48) and medical (N = 114) students completed an online pre-matriculation assignment about the use of race in healthcare. Students initially completed an anonymous 14-item pre-survey and then read assigned publications, followed by answering questions about a real-life vignette concerning the topic of race as a social construct. Students finished the assignment by completing an anonymous seven-item post-survey. Data from the pre- and post-surveys were collected and analyzed to assess if differences existed among students and between the two surveys.

Results: Dental and medical students were significantly more likely to endorse race as a social construct after the learning experience (p < 0.001). Students who had experienced discrimination or obtained training were more likely to define race as a social construct before and after the learning event.

Conclusion: Dental and medical schools can increase students' understanding of race as a social construct, rather than a biological construct, with educational interventions.

Keywords: dental education; health disparities; medical education; racism; social construct.

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References

REFERENCES

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