Shaping the research agenda for dental sleep-disordered breathing education in orthodontic residency programs

Abstract

Dental care providers are essential in screening and co-managing sleep-breathing disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea. As an integral component of dental medicine education, Dental Sleep-disordered Breathing Education (DSBE) aims to equip undergraduate and graduate dental students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitude to screen for and manage sleep-breading disorders as part of interdisciplinary teams. Studies on DSBE have mainly focused on undergraduate dental programs. Thus, research is needed to support the improvement of DSBE in dental residency programs, especially in orthodontics, to address the learning needs of future dental students, including Generation Z learners. This perspective paper suggests key research areas and methodologies to support this much-needed undertaking. These areas include curriculum mapping, outcome evaluation, and improvement/innovation. Dental researchers are encouraged to research these areas, employing the suggested methodologies. This will help overcome existing educational challenges and advance the available knowledge on DSBE in residency programs in orthodontics and dentistry at large.