Assessment of objectives of post-doctoral general dentistry programs in Canada

The performance of the two-year postgraduate year dentist training program in Taiwan

Background/purpose

The postgraduate year dentist training program (PGYD) officially implemented in 2010. This study aimed to assess PGYD trainees’ subjective satisfaction perception and objective competence performance according to different training institutions (either dental clinics or hospitals).

Materials and methods

A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2018. Subjective satisfaction questionnaires from 222 PGYD trainees and 166 PGYD trainees’ scores of objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) were collected for analysis. The t-test and logistic regression were used to compare differences between two groups.

Results

In subjective satisfaction, PGYD trainees in hospitals revealed less positive perceptions on teachers (odds ratios [ORs] range: 0.33–0.7) and on training plans and auxiliary facilities (ORs range: 0.23–0.69), but they had more opportunities to attend and present at professional meetings than those in clinics. In PGYD trainees’ opinion, the optimal training period allocation was 25% in hospitals and 75% in clinics. Overall, trainees in hospitals had better OSCE scores than those in clinics (OR [95% confidence interval, CI]: 3.12 [1.68–5.79]), except for the item of “the relation between physical condition and dental treatment outcome” (0.3 [0.1–0.97]).

Conclusion

PGYD trainees in dental clinics have more positive perceptions on teachers and on training plans and auxiliary facilities, but PGYD trainees in hospitals have better OSCE scores. PGYD trainees prefer to be trained in clinics for a better connection with future careers, while hospitals can offer better training for PGYD trainees to become independent dentists because they have better training environment and more educational resources.

Survey on sedation in paediatric dentistry: a global perspective

BACKGROUND

Paediatric dentists receive training in sedation during their advanced education training, but evidence suggests that this training varies widely.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to survey members of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) and the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD) on their opinion on pharmacological and other behavioural management techniques and their training related to provision of oral health care of paediatric patients in the dental setting.

METHODS

A request was made for access to the IAPD and EAPD membership email addresses. The responses were recorded anonymously and data uploaded into spss (version 9) and analysed using descriptive analysis and chi-square with and without tabulation processes.

RESULTS

A total of 311 respondents of 1973 targeted individuals answered the survey. The response rate was 16%. The majority of the respondents came from the continent of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The most frequent type of sedation was general anaesthesia (52% of the respondents), followed by nitrous oxide (46%) and then oral sedation (44%). At least 91% of the respondents indicated that they were interested in the development of continuing education on the topic of sedation.

CONCLUSIONS

Paediatric dentists around the world use relatively few behaviour management techniques, including pharmacological management. There is a definite interest in continuing education in the area of sedation.

Access to dental care for children in the United States: a survey of general practitioners

BACKGROUND

In response to concern that inadequate dental school training may create a barrier to access to care for children, the authors conducted a survey concerning general practitioners' practice patterns involving child patients.

METHODS

The authors requested a list of 4,970 randomly chosen general practitioners from the American Dental Association Survey Center. They then sent those dentists a written survey asking whether and in what numbers they treat children; the ages and caries levels of any children they do treat; their perceptions of their educational experiences in pediatric dentistry, and their perceived needs for continuing education in pediatric dentistry. They analyzed data using chi2.

RESULTS

Ninety-one percent of the general dentists surveyed treated children, but those younger than 4 years of age, with high levels of caries, and whose care is funded by Medicaid were represented in very low numbers. The types of patients treated and procedures performed by the respondents were significantly (P < or = .05) associated with the intensity of the respondents' educational experiences, except for the number and types of Medicaid patients they treated.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that the vast majority of general practitioners treat children in their practices, but there still are groups of children for whom access to dental care is a problem.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Very young children, children with high levels of caries and Medicaid-covered children have difficulty finding dental care in the general practice community.