Can I be a student again? How medical graduates make the decision to return to dental school prior to a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgery and dental health education in undergraduate medicine: a systematic review

Undergraduates in medicine should receive a basic education to ensure understanding of dental concepts, including oral cancer, basic dental health advice, and oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS). This review aims to explore the exposure of OMFS and dental education in the UK medical undergraduate curriculum and follows PRISMA protocols. Four databases were used to search for literature: MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar. A three-tier reviewer panel was used to appropriately evaluate data. The Medical Education Research Quality Instrument (MERSQI) was used to assess research quality amongst the included literature. A total of 14 papers were included for review. Surveys assessing medical students' perceptions of OMFS education indicate a need for improvement of the speciality in undergraduate medicine. Mean exposure of graduating medical students to OMFS was 22% (95%CI 11 to 29%). Knowledge of relevant anatomy, physiology, and OMFS-related data was very poor across all surveys. Likewise, oral cancer teaching appears to have room for improvement, only 7% (95%CI 4.1 to 10.3%) of final year medical students can identify oral cancer and less than 20% felt confident in oral assessment and diagnosis. This appears to transfer over into postgraduate medicine where only a mean of 22% of general practitioners can correctly diagnose oral cancer. The results of this review indicate that OMFS and oral cancer are not well covered in the medical curriculum. Doctors require a basic understanding of the OMFS speciality for appropriate referrals and clinical management. Furthermore, the ability of doctors to correctly deal with oral medical problems should be improved to optimise patient outcomes.

Digital technology for orthognathic surgery training promotion: a randomized comparative study

Background

This study aims to investigate whether a systematic digital training system can improve the learning efficiency of residents in the first-year orthognathic surgery training course and evaluate its effectiveness in teaching orthognathic surgery.

Methods

A digital training system was applied, and a comparative research approach was adopted. 24 first-year orthognathic surgery residents participated in the experiment as part of their professional skill training. The Experimental group was required to use a digital training system, and the Control group was trained in lectures without digital technologies. Three indicators, including theoretical knowledge and clinical operation, were assessed in tests, and evaluations from instructors were analyzed to evaluate learning efficiency.

Results

The results showed that the scores in theoretical tests, practical operations, and teacher evaluations, the Experimental groups were all higher than the Control group (P = 0.002 for anatomy, P = 0.000 for operation theory) after using digital technology, except for the understanding of complications (P = 0.771). In addition, the questionnaire survey results showed that the study interest (P = 0.001), self-confidence (P = 0.001), satisfaction (P = 0.002), and academic performance (P = 0.001) of the residents of the Experimental group were higher than those of the Control group.

Conclusions

The outcomes indicated that the digital training system could benefit orthognathic residents' learning efficiency, and learning interest and teaching satisfaction will also improve.

Ten years on: an online questionnaire evaluation of the UK special care dentistry specialist workforce

Aims To provide information on the demographics and work patterns of the UK special care dentistry (SCD) specialist workforce.Design A self-administered electronic questionnaire.Setting All UK-based SCD specialists on the membership of the British Society for Disability and Oral Health and the British Society of Gerodontology.Materials and methods An electronic questionnaire was distributed to a potential 301 SCD specialists. Responses were descriptively analysed.Results One hundred responses (33%) were received. The majority of respondents were female (74%) and/or of white ethnicity (86%). Three-quarters (78%) were based in England and a third (37%) were based in South East England. Two-thirds (66%) worked in the community dental service. Forty-eight percent work part-time and 32% have had a career break. Forty-three percent are planning to retire by 2026 and approximately half (53%) plan to retire by 2031. A significant minority (44%) do not feel appropriately paid.Conclusions Workforce planners should anticipate the impact on specialist provision due to a combination of a predominantly female workforce with associated working patterns, an anticipated loss of numbers and experience, and the effect financial dissatisfaction may have on attracting trainees. Efforts should be made to increase racial diversity.

Changes in United Kingdom oral and maxillofacial surgical specialty trainees since 1995 - numbers, gender, first degrees, and nations of origin

Training in UK surgery has changed dramatically since 1995, from a relative lack of structure to time-limited and highly documented programmes. Training in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) has shared these changes and included some significant changes of its own. Minutes from the OMFS Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) were reviewed over the last 25 years to record the number and location of newly approved posts. The General Medicine Council's (GMC) OMFS specialist list in 2019 was combined with the records of OMFS specialists' dental qualifications held by the General Dental Council (GDC) and augmented from a database of OMFS trainees and consultants in the UK. Data on demographics, location, and nature of the first medical or dental degree were noted for analysis. A total of 691 OMFS specialists and trainees were identified from GMC, OMFS SAC and consultant databases. Of these, 12 consultants held only dental qualification/registration. First degree data could not be obtained for 12 specialists (all male). A further 20 OMFS specialists, whose training was outside the UK, were also excluded from further analysis. In 1995 there were 95 national training posts, by 2013 there were 150. Over the last quarter of a century, there has been an increase in medicine first trainees, an increase in female trainees and specialists, and a relative decrease in OMFS trainees from the Indian subcontinent. The varied origins of the OMFS workforce has contributed to greater diversity and inclusion within the specialty. In the UK, OMFS appears to have produced the correct number of specialists whilst maintaining a high standard of training. The next change in OMFS training programmes is to deliver The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board's (PMETB) recommendations. As we move to achieve this it is imperative that as new doors open, we do not close others.

Factors affecting pre-doctoral dental students' selection of advanced dental education: A cross-sectional study

CONTEXT

Understanding the motivators and obstacles behind pursuing advanced dental education is essential in planning pedagogy, mentorship programs, and curricula that support dental students to achieve their future career goals.

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to investigate factors influencing dental student's choice to pursue a postgraduate specialization at University of New England College of Dental Medicine with a focus on student personality. Factors examined include demographics, religious affiliations, prior education, dental experiences, expected debt, past career choices, beliefs about the process of specialization, and personality types.

METHOD

A total of 232 dental students (91.6% response rate) completed a self-administered questionnaire. About 21.6% of dental students intended to pursue a dental specialty while 38.8% wanted to pursue a nondental Masters' program. Approximately one-third of dental students were interested in practicing as general dentists or pursuing additional training in general dentistry. Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry were the top choices for dental specialization.

RESULTS

Being younger, having a dentist family member, nonwhite ethnicity, and having Extraverted and Sensing personality were found to be significant predictors of dental students' intention to pursue advanced dental education. Having a unique talent or skills, past exposure to dental treatments, family/peer expectations, geographic location of the residency program and its proximity to the family were the most identified factors while considering residency program.

CONCLUSION

Results in this study are consistent with previous literature and bring attention to the importance of understanding students' personality in teaching methodologies, mentorship and determining their future goals. The findings allow dental institutions to better prepare their predoctoral candidate for residency.

Medical students' understanding of oral and maxillofacial surgery: an Irish perspective

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) remains an enigmatic specialty in Irish medicine and many students are unaware of its scope and the unique career pathway involved. We completed a multicentre cross-sectional study to identify their ability to identify the requirements for entry to specialty training year 3 (ST3) in OMFS, to assess their awareness of OMFS surgeons, and their general awareness of, and exposure to, the specialty. Data were collected through an electronic questionnaire. Participants were asked to select the most suitable surgical specialty to treat a number of common conditions in the head and neck, and to choose the requirements they deemed essential for specialist training. Knowledge was measured by the number of correct responses. A total of 443 medical students participated (University College Cork (UCC) n=328, 74%; Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) n=113, 26%). A total of 318/374 (85%) had had no previous experience of OMFS, 38/374 (10%) had had theoretical teaching only, and 18/374 (5%) had had clinical experience. A total of 212/329 (64%) wished for greater exposure as a student, but only 34/329 (9%) would consider a career in the specialty. The median (IQR) number of correct responses for OMFS procedures was 3.0/10 (2.0), with women, direct entrants, and RCSI students scoring highest. Only 11/367 (3%) could identify the minimum entry requirements for a post of specialist registrar. This study has identified a potential gap in the undergraduate curriculum. Although medical students are rarely taught about OMFS, they show an interest in learning more.