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The development and testing of an instrument for assessing dental students' attitudes toward the handicapped is presented. This instrument is easily administered (approximately 10 minutes) and scored, and possesses sound psychometric properties. Norms were derived from 826 students in 8 regionally-distributed dental schools. Content validity of the scale was established by means of expert opinion, and construct validity was examined by varimax rotation factor analysis. The results of the factor analysis indicated that this Dental Students' Attitudes toward the Handicapped Scale (DSATHS) is composed of two primary factors: attitudes toward educational experiences and instructors, and attitudes toward interpersonal and future interactions with the handicapped. The results of additional correlational analyses indicated that the 32 item instrument is internally consistent and stable over time. Included is the DSATHS inventory and scoring directions. (Author/PN)