Salter R O, Barham L, Young D L, McIntosh C, Butler C J. Integrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) competency into the dental school curriculum. J Dent Educ 2024; DOI: 10.1002/jdd.13476.

Introducing an early intervention LGBTQ competency course in the dental curriculum is an effective method of improving students' awareness and self-confidence in working with LGBTQ patients.

This study examined dental students' and residents' self-reported clinical preparedness, prejudicial attitudes (implicit and explicit), and knowledge of health disparities that exist in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) community using the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBT-DOCSS) prior to and after the presentation of an LGBTQ competency course. A total of 178 dental students at a private US dental school participated in the course and completed both pre-course survey and post-course survey. Sixty-seven percent of the students reported having formal training in LGBTQ competency prior to completing the pre-training survey. The results of the LGBT-DOCSS in this population following intervention training revealed an increased feeling of clinical preparedness, decreased bias, and increased knowledge of health disparities in the LGBTQ community. Knowledge of LGBTQ health issues increased significantly among pre-clinical students.