TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL MEDICINE - Georgian Medical Journal

Abstract

Background:
As patient populations become increasingly diverse, cultural competence is recognized as a critical component of effective clinical care. In dental education, insufficient cultural awareness and skills may contribute to disparities in patient outcomes and communication barriers.

Aim:
To evaluate cultural competence—across knowledge, skills, attitudes, and prior training—among clinical-phase dental students at a Georgian dental faculty.

Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered online questionnaire distributed to dental students in clinical training (semester ≥6). The survey assessed four domains of cultural competence: knowledge, clinical skills, attitudes, and previous exposure to cultural competence training. Participants included both native Georgian-speaking and international English-speaking students, enabling representation of diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.

Results:
The results demonstrated generally low to moderate levels of competence and knowledge in culturally sensitive dental care among participants. In the practice and skills domain, most respondents reported limited competence. For prescribing or negotiating culturally sensitive treatment plans, 44.44% indicated “Not at all” and 47.09% “Somewhat,” with only 8.47% reporting higher competence. Similarly, in providing culturally sensitive patient education and counseling, 49.21% selected “Not at all” and 40.21% “A little,” while fewer than 11% indicated moderate or higher competence. In the knowledge domain, awareness was also limited. Nearly all participants (98.94%) reported no awareness of ethno-pharmacology. Awareness of health risks among different ethnic groups was variable, with 58.20% indicating “A little” and 15.87% “Somewhat.” In contrast, a majority (68.25%) demonstrated moderate awareness of the impact of socio-economic and cultural factors on oral health outcomes. Overall, the findings highlight gaps in both cultural competence and knowledge.

Conclusions:
The findings reveal significant gaps in cultural competence among clinical dental students, particularly in applied clinical skills and confidence in managing culturally diverse patient interactions. These results highlight the need for structured, competency-based educational interventions within the dental curriculum. Strengthening cultural competence training may improve patient–provider communication and support more equitable, patient-centered care in diverse clinical settings.

Klenner M, Mariño R, Pineda P, Espinoza G, Zaror C. Cultural Competence in the nursing, dentistry, and medicine professional curricula: a qualitative review. BMC Med Educ. 2022;22(1):686. Published 2022 Sep 20. doi:10.1186/s12909-022-03743-7

Zanting A, Frambach JM, Meershoek A, Krumeich A. Exploring the implicit meanings of 'cultural diversity': a critical conceptual analysis of commonly used approaches in medical education. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2025;30(3):859-877. doi:10.1007/s10459-024-10371-x

Balla SB, Angelakopoulos N, Tadakamadla J, Tadakamadla SK. A Systematic Review of the Facilitators and Challenges as Perceived by Dental Service Providers in the Provision of Oral Healthcare for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2026;54(1):7-21. doi:10.1111/cdoe.70021

essani A, Athanasakos A, Kachwinya S. "A life-changing experience and the beginning of a lifelong commitment": experiences and impact of Global Health Community Service-Learning in undergraduate dental curriculum in Canada. BMC Oral Health. 2024;24(1):799. Published 2024 Jul 15. doi:10.1186/s12903-024-04539-5

Olafuyi O, Parekh N, Wright J, Koenig J. Inter-ethnic differences in pharmacokinetics-is there more that unites than divides?. Pharmacol Res Perspect. 2021;9(6):e00890. doi:10.1002/prp2.890

Kim Y, Bae S, Chung WK, Kwon J, Song I, Lee S. Exploration of pharmacokinetic differences between East Asians and Caucasians: insights from pharmacokinetic studies in healthy subjects. Transl Clin Pharmacol. 2024;32(3):127-136. doi:10.12793/tcp.2024.32.e15

Narendra G, Choudhary S, Raju B, Verma H, Silakari O. Role of Genetic Polymorphisms in Drug-Metabolizing Enzyme-Mediated Toxicity and Pharmacokinetic Resistance to Anti-Cancer Agents: A Review on the Pharmacogenomics Aspect. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2022;61(11):1495-1517. doi:10.1007/s40262-022-01174-7

Benzian H, Beltrán-Aguilar E, Niederman R. Five reasons why essential dental medicines deliver more equity in oral health care. J Am Dent Assoc. 2023;154(2):107-109. doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2022.09.015

Van Dam L, Diab E, Johnson J. Canadian immigrants' oral health and oral health care providers' cultural competence capacity. Can J Dent Hyg. 2024;58(1):34-47. Published 2024 Feb 1.

Burgess-Flowers J, Yokovich K. Cultural Attunement: A Critical Social Driver of Oral Health. N C Med J. 2024;85(6):389-392. doi:10.18043/001c.125705

Purohit BM, Singh A, Barbi W, Ahmad S. Cultural factors and family influences on adolescent oral health: qualitative research in a socially disadvantaged population. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2024;34(6):710-720. doi:10.1111/ipd.13170

Listl S, Bärnighausen T. Oral Health as a Marker of Social Progress. J Dent Res. 2025;104(8):820-827. doi:10.1177/00220345251324120

Demopoulos CA, Kohli R, Dhar S, Raju K. Racial and oral health equity in dental school curricula. J Public Health Dent. 2022;82 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):114-122. doi:10.1111/jphd.12516

Falusi O, Chun-Seeley L, de la Torre D, et al. Teaching the Teachers: Development and Evaluation of a Racial Health Equity Curriculum for Faculty. MedEdPORTAL. 2023;19:11305. Published 2023 Mar 28. doi:10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11305

Chandler CE, Williams CR, Turner MW, Shanahan ME. Training Public Health Students in Racial Justice and Health Equity : A Systematic Review. Public Health Rep. 2022;137(2):375-385. doi:10.1177/00333549211015665