Senior dental students reflective activities involving community-service learning

ObjectiveCommunity service-learning (CSL) placements engage with equity-deserving groups. They receive oral health care and students can critically reflect on their experiences. This study aimed to thematically explore the reflections of senior dental students providing oral health services to equity-deserving communities in British Columbia, Canada. MethodsSemi-structured written reflections were collected cross-sectionally from three consecutive graduating cohorts of fourth-year dental students (2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25). Reflections were a mandatory component of a community placement course, were approximately 500 words in length, and were prompted as follows: "Describe your personal experience at the assigned community clinic, noting moments of revelation, valuable learning, and/or disappointment for you." An exploratory thematic analysis was conducted using an iterative coding process to identify and interpret categories and themes. ResultsFrom all the three years, 764 reflections were collected (191-625 words each) from 171 students. Of these, 124 reflections were excluded because they consisted solely of descriptions of procedures. Data saturation was reached after in-depth analysis of 205 reflections, yielding four overarching themes, including learning across differences; and pause-breathe-refine. These themes were informed by categories highlighting that detrimental impact of overly controlling mentorship styles and observation-only experiences on students learning. ConclusionTransformative experiences were observed, while students also reflected on less positive practices. Students emphasized the importance of CSL placements for their education, professional growth, and understanding of underserved populations, while also highlighting implementation challenges. Future research should examine the long-term impact of CSL activities once these challenges are addressed.