Assessment of student attitude and confidence in a program of dental education in care of the disabled.

An analysis is presented of the effect of a four-year dental school program in care of the disabled on expressed student attitude and confidence towards treating the handicapped patient. The longitudinal study, involving 503 students in six dental classes, revealed a willingness by the majority of students (greater than or equal to 60 percent) to treat pateints with whom they feel capable. This attitude remained essentially unaffected by the program. In contrast, levels of students' perceived confidence in treating handicapped persons increased significantly as the result of specific instruction in disability management; heightened confidence levels were sustained for one academic year. Expressed ability to treat the disabled appeared to increase for successive classes. The result support the premise that dental graduates who have received instruction in disability care will fell more confident and hence will be more likely to treat patients with special needs.