Objectives: To compare students' perceptions of comfort and anticipated willingness to treat specific special needs and other traditionally underserved populations immediately upon completion of student extramural rotations. Methods: On the final day of their extramural rotations University of Iowa senior dental students who graduated from 1992 through 2004 (N=726) completed a questionnaire that asked, in part, about student comfort with and future willingness to treat 12 vulnerable population groups (i.e., low income, frail elderly, homebound, medically complex, mentally compromised, homeless, drug user, other ethnic group, Title XIX, HIV+/AIDS, jailed, and non-English speaking). Logistic regression models were developed to determine whether there were significant associations between the dependent variables, which were student comfort and future willingness to treat each of the 12 groups, and student gender, graduation year, extramural rotation combinations, and experience with these groups. Results: Regression models indicate students' prior experience is most often associated with comfort in treating the respective population groups. Likewise, experience and comfort add different dimensions to perceived future willingness to treat almost all of the 12 groups. Extramural sites attended did have an impact on comfort toward frail elderly, medically complex and non-English speaking patients. Female students are more likely to be willing to treat low income, other ethnic groups, and Title XIX patients in the future, when controlling for other predictor variables. Conclusions: This study provides empirical insight into demonstrating the benefit of in-depth experiences. Students are more comfortable treating certain groups as well as more willing to consider including these groups into their future practices. However, the relationship between comfort and future willingness to treat is not universal across these groups. Supported, in part, by NIH/NIDCR T32 DE14678 and Dows Student Research Award.

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