Altruism in Dental Students

Part I: Original Paper

Altruism in Dental Students

Daisy Carreon, MPH

Pamela Davidson, PhD

Ron Andersen, PhD

Terry Nakazono, MA

Abstract: Altruistic dentists play a central role in treating minority populations, the poor,

the uninsured, and those living in underserved communities. This study examines factors

associated with graduating dental students’ altruistic attitudes. We use a nationally representative dataset, the 2007 American Dental Education Association Survey of Dental School

Seniors (n53,841), and a comprehensive framework to investigate individual, school, and

community characteristics that may influence altruism. Student characteristics were the

most significant predictors: women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders,

and students with low socioeconomic status expressed greater altruism than their counterparts. These results inform dental educators and administrators to expand efforts to recruit

underrepresented racial/ethnic and low-income students into dentistry. Additionally, we

found that students with altruistic personalities attend schools where the social context is

more accepting and respectful of diversity. This suggests that schools can promote altruism

in their students by creating a positive culture and environment for diverse populations.

Key words: Dental education, altruism, access to care.

M

illions of Americans are unable to obtain quality dental care services needed to

maintain a healthy mouth and body. Although oral health is integral to overall

health and well-being, an estimated 25 million individuals reside in areas lacking

adequate oral health care services according to Oral Health in America: A Report of

the Surgeon General.1 The access to oral health care crisis is most evident among lowincome and racial minority populations.2,3 African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians and Alaskan Natives generally have the poorest oral health of any racial

and ethnic groups in the U.S....