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Volume3 Issue1
S
upporting
Y
our
P
ractice
supportive social interactions among
rural communitymembers and thus
believed that dentistswouldhavea
senseof belonging to thecommunity.
➌➤
ImageofRuralDental
Practices
Participantsperceived rural dental
practices ashavingahigh level of
autonomyassociatedwithgreat
responsibilityandmultitasking.Most
werepositiveabout theworking
hours, typeof clienteleandabsenceof
competitionbetweendentists. A few
mentioned that the lackof specialists in
rural areaswould increase theworkload
of general dentists and thenatureof
the treatments theyoffer.
Furthermore, theymentioned the
critical importanceof adentist’s
reputation in small rural communities:
“Ina small townyour reputation is
everything.... You’regetting feedback
fromyour patients.”
➍➤
PerceivedBarriers toRural
DentalPractices
Three subthemes emerged in this area.
Proximitymaintenanceand
separationdistress:
Thedesire to
remainclose topeople towhom
theyareemotionallyattached
and the fear of isolationwere
psychological concepts that
emerged from thediscussions.Most
studentswithanurbanbackground
wereconcernedabout givingup
theirmetropolitan lifestyle for a rural
wayof life.
Fearof theunknown:
Participants
without a rural backgroundor rural
experienceexpressed fear resulting
from their lackof knowledgeand
uncertaintyabout thenatureof
ruralityand rural dental health
care services. Inaddition, lackof
confidence in treating rural patients
emerged in their comments.
Lackof infrastructure, resources
andprofessional support
was also
considered tobeadisadvantage
ofworking in rural areas formost
dental students.
➎➤
PerceivedEnablersofRural
DentalPractices
Four subthemes emergedon this topic.
Highlighting theadvantagesof
ruraldentalpractice:
Participants
mentioned the importanceof
providing studentswithmore
informationabout thepositive
aspectsof rural dentistryand
working in rural and remote regions.
They suggestedputtingeffort into
social networks for knowledge
disseminationamongyoung
dentists.
Monetaryandnon-monetary
incentives:
Participants suggested
debt forgiveness and taxbonuses as
effective initiatives, addressing the
debtphobiaof themajorityof dental
students. Theyalsoexplained that
thegovernment could intervene to
support healthcareprofessionals
financiallyandpsychologically.
However, somebelieved that
government alreadyoffers enough
incentives and that, beingpart of an
autonomous industry, dentists resist
governmentmeasures.
Creating jobopportunities for
spouses:
Most of the female
participantsperceived their partner’s
career as an important factor in
decision-makingand retention.
However, they knewcreating job
opportunities requires collaborative
effortsbetweengovernment
employment bodies and rural
communities.
Dental education:
Participants
suggested that dental schools could
contribute to improving rural dental
practicebyadopting rural-oriented
admission strategies anddental
curriculaandexposing students to
rural regions.
Discussion
This study raises awarenessof the
roleof academiaandpolicymakers in
providingappropriateeducationand
infrastructure for rural dental practices.
Differentmodelsof educationand
curricula shouldbedeveloped to
promote social dentistryandprepare
students forworking inunderserviced
areas. Development of a rural residency
dental programwithadequate
governmental financial support could
bea target strategy
.
Evidence from successful programs
in theUnitedStates, Australiaand
other countries shows that these
programs areeffective in termsof
raising students’ awareness, increasing
their knowledgeandpromotinga
positiveattitude toward future rural
practice.
11,14,38
Furthermore, itmight help
studentsunderstand the significance
of their contribution to theoral health
of underservedpopulations
22,39,40
and
increase their senseof professionalism
and social responsibility.
40
The results indicate that studentswith
rural upbringingandexperiencemight
bemore interested ina rural career
andmore sensitive to theneeds and
demandsof remotecommunities.
12,15,41-46
Thesefindings support thepolicies
of certaindental faculties in regard
to the selectionof students from
rural and remoteareas.
13,46
Strategies
suchaspsychosocial education,
rural infrastructuredevelopment
andentrepreneurship, creationof
jobopportunities for partners and
families, aswell asmonetary incentives
couldbebeneficial inaddressing rural
deprivation.
Our findings also show thatwhile
monetary incentives couldbe
motivators
3,23,48-53
andmight increase
recruitment of dental personnel, they
might not haveaneffect ondentist
retention in rural and remoteareas.
22,54
Thishighlights theneed to focuson
non-monetary incentives suchas
access toprofessional support and job
satisfaction.
It is interesting tonote that although
the students’ profiles varied in terms
of year of education (undergraduate
students versus specialty residents),
they sharedcommonperspectiveswith
regard topractice location.
a
