Knowledge of Dental Students with Respect to Orthodontic Diagnosis and Clear Aligner Therapy in Conjunction with a Study of Predoctoral Orthodontic Curricula
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Abstract
The purpose of this project was to explore the attitude and knowledge of dental students with respect to orthodontic diagnosis and clear aligner therapy and to investigate the predoctoral orthodontic curriculum at their respective schools. This study utilized two IRB-approved surveys. The first survey was administered to the predoctoral orthodontic directors inquiring about their program’s orthodontic curriculum. The survey questions were divided into 2 domains: didactic and clinical experiences. Didactic experience included questions regarding the number of curriculum hours devoted to orthodontics and aligner therapy. Clinical experience included questions on how many patients (if any) the dental students were able to treat with orthodontics and aligners in the clinic. The second survey was from a pilot study and was administered to third- and fourth- year dental students to inquire if demographics including school year, future practice plans, and desire and confidence to provide aligner therapy are associated with aligner knowledge (AK) and orthodontic knowledge (OK). The student survey questions were divided into 3 domains: demographics, aligner knowledge and orthodontic knowledge. The aligner and orthodontic knowledge domains were scored independently to evaluate if demographics and curriculum were associated with their scores. Both surveys were optional and anonymous. Six schools completed the study requirements for a response rate of 24%, with 587 students completing the student survey for a student response rate of 60.8%. There were no significant differences in knowledge between D3 and D4 students, nor between those that want to specialize in orthodontics and those that plan on practicing general dentistry. Students that planned on practicing general dentistry from schools with a high number of classroom hours (≥20 hours) did have significantly higher OK scores (p<0.001) and were more likely to refer all orthodontic patients (p=0.005) than those from schools with low classroom hours (<20 hours). The students planning on practicing general dentistry from schools that provided an opportunity to treat orthodontic patients in the clinic as part of the curriculum also had higher OK scores (p<0.001) and were more likely to refer all orthodontics (p=0.004) than those that did not have the opportunity to treat orthodontic patients.
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Introduction -- Methods -- Results -- Discussion -- Conclusions -- Literature cited -- Appendix 1. Survey of Directors -- Appendix 2. Survey of Students -- Appendix 3. Initial Contact Email -- Appendix 4. REDCap Survey of Directors Email -- Appendix 5. Reminder Email -- Appendix 6. Rubric for Survey of Students -- Appendix 7.Disclaimer for Directors -- Appendix 8. IRB Approval Letter
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M.S.