A dental student view on learning gained through Inter-Professional Engagement with people experiencing homelessness

Abstract

Community engagement is an important element of the undergraduate programme at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom. This report presents a project that a group of second year dental students undertook with people experiencing homelessness, and provides an in-depth reflective account of its impact on the students' learning. The project formed part of the students' inter-professional engagement module and delivered an intervention to enable residents at a temporary accommodation centre to access dental treatment. As a result of the project, 14 residents received dental treatment. The groups' confidence in engaging with people experiencing homelessness and their understanding of the complex needs of this group also significantly improved. Community engagement modules can be an important learning tool for students' future practice and can help promote access to dental care for vulnerable populations.