The sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) are at risk for various health disparities. To address these disparities, healthcare training institutions can include SGM-specific constructs in the required curriculum to develop health professionals who demonstrate cultural competence towards individuals with diverse sexual orientations. Moreover, these curricular efforts must be complemented with climate related efforts as cultural climate also affects student learning.
This is a descriptive study that aimed to investigate the students' perspective on the integration of sexual and gender minority constructs into the dental curriculum of a particular dental school in the Philippines. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, given the complexity of the phenomenon under study. The quantitative part studied the extent to which the SGM-specific constructs are covered in the required curriculum. A two-part survey questionnaire was developed based on existing literature and was administered to dental students from year level one to six. A semi-structured interview was conducted with selected students to discuss the existing campus climate towards the SGM population. Quantitative results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis using Atlas.ti. The results are expected to add to the body of knowledge specifically on the integration of SGM constructs in the dental curriculum.
