Service-learning's impact on dental students' attitude to community service

This study is aimed to evaluate service-learning program's impact on senior dental students' attitude to community service at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry. Experience gained through service-learning in dental school may positively impact dental students' attitude to community service that will eventually lead into providing care to the underserved. Two surveys were administered to 105 senior dental students. For the first survey (post-test), students reported their attitude to community service after the service-learning program completion. For the second survey (pre-test), students reported their attitude prior to the program retrospectively. Seventy six students responded to the post-test and fifty six students responded to the pre-test. A repeated-measure mixed-model analysis indicated that overall there was a change between pre-test and post-test. Scales of connectedness, normative helping behavior, benefits, career benefits, and intention showed a significant pre-test and post-test difference. A relationship between attitude to community service and student characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, and volunteer activity was also examined. Only ethnicity showed a significant difference. In conclusion, service-learning program at VCU School of Dentistry has positively impacted senior dental students' attitude to community service.