Exposure to and awareness of oral and maxillofacial surgery for first degree dental undergraduates in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Evidence shows that the majority of OMFS trainees undertook dentistry as their first degree, however, an increasing number of undergraduates undertaking OMFS training have completed medicine first. It is vital that all undergraduates wanting to commit to another degree have adequate exposure to, and understanding of, the specialty. The aim of our study was to evaluate the perspectives of final-year dental students concerning their exposure to, and perceptions of, OMFS during their undergraduate teaching. This is a cross-sectional cohort study that used an online survey to collect data. All final-year dental students at a UK dental school who will graduate in 2024 were included. Regarding the exposure to OMFS, 122 (71.8%) respondents reported that they had been offered OMFS-related clinical placements from their respective dental schools, while 48 (28.2%) had not. Of the 122 who reported receiving placements, the placement lasted a mean of 3.78 days. Participants were then asked if they thought they had adequate experience and information to make an informed choice regarding OMFS as a career, to which 70 (41.2%) responded that they did have that knowledge and experience whilst 100 (58.8%) responded that they did not. Our study overall shows a better understanding of the scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery amongst final-year dental students in the UK compared with their medical student counterparts from previous literature. However, our results reflect areas in which knowledge, exposure to, and perception of, OMFS can be improved amongst dental undergraduates.