Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Predoctoral Dental Curricula: An Exploratory Survey of U.S. Dental Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) education in U.S. dental schools. A survey was administered via e-mail to each U.S. dental school's academic dean, and data were collected from respondents in a fillable PDF form submitted electronically to the study investigators. The survey asked respondents whether CAM was taught at the institution; if the response was yes, information was requested regarding the CAM therapies included, credentials of the instructor, number of hours taught, reason for teaching CAM, and format in which CAM was taught. Of the sixty dental schools contacted, twenty-two responded to the survey (37 percent response rate). Of these respondents, ten (45.5 percent) reported offering instruction in CAM as part of their predoctoral curricula. Herb/drug interactions were found to be taught with more frequency than any other CAM topic (in six out of the ten institutions). Limitations of the study are discussed, and suggestions for future studies are made.