Nutrition teaching in European dental schools

Abstract

A survey has been carried out on nutrition teaching in European dental schools. Whilst The Netherlands and some Scandinavian countries report high levels of teaching with 40 or more hours on average devoted to the subject, others report little or none. With the exception of the former, the extent of teaching of this subject is very varied and in the majority of cases, inadequate. Only 5 schools reported separate courses in nutrition; elsewhere the hours refer to information related to nutrition included in other courses in the curriculum. Whilst current curriculum revision in some countries may improve the situation, in the absence of either European or national guidelines, amelioration will continue to depend on enthusiasm within individual dental schools and medical faculties.