ORAL MEDICINE EDUCATION IN PRE-DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN U.S. DENTAL SCHOOLS

Abstract

<h3>Objectives</h3> The aim of this study was to investigate the current standing of the oral medicine (OM) curriculum in the predoctoral dental programs in the United States and its relation to the students' perceptions of OM as a postgraduate specialty program option. <h3>Study Design</h3> A cross-sectional anonymous electronic survey was distributed by email to the academic deans of all Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)-accredited dental schools in the United States. The survey consisted of 2 parts: (1) Part A was completed by the fourth-year dental students and (2) Part B was completed by the academic deans or faculty members serving in a similar role. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the responses using JMP 15.0 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). <h3>Results</h3> A total of 4 rounds of surveys were sent between November 2020 and January 2021. The response rate from the associate deans was 28.4% (n = 19). The mean number of American Board of Oral Medicine–certified specialists involved in teaching OM in each dental school was 1.6 (range, 0-5). OM specialists were involved in teaching OM courses in 74% of the schools in addition to other specialists, including oral pathologists (n = 11), oral radiologists (n = 2), oral surgeons (n = 2), and 1 orofacial pain specialist. Oral pathologists alone or with oral surgeons were responsible for teaching the oral medicine courses in 21% and 5% of the schools, respectively. A total of 224 dental students responded to the survey. Most students (n = 114; 51%) reported their first introduction to OM was during their second year of dental school, 39% (n = 87) during their first year, and 8% (n = 17) during their third year. Sixty-four percent of the students thought the OM specialty was not known, 12% thought it was very poorly known, and only 13% thought the specialty was known. Only 1% of the respondents expressed interest in pursuing OM as a future postgraduate specialty choice. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Although OM specialists were involved in teaching OM in the majority of dental schools, students' perceptions and understanding of the specialty appeared to be low. Additional efforts are required to increase students' awareness around OM to better serve the important needs of our patient population.