Abstract
The number of patients with jaw deformity is increasing, and so it is necessary to train young dentists who have the knowledge, skills, and attitude required to deal with them. Aiming to improve postgraduate education on jaw deformity, we conducted a questionnaire survey to understand how trainees treat patients with jaw deformity during current dental clinical training.
The subjects of the survey were 51 dentists who graduated from the Nippon Dental University, and underwent clinical dentistry training at Niigata Hospital in 2022. A five-item questionnaire survey related to jaw deformity was conducted at the end of clinical training.
Of the clinical trainees, 66.7％ provided information on orthodontic treatment for patients with malocclusion; 68.6％ responded that they had provided information on surgical orthodontic treatment for patients with jaw deformity. Although the level of understanding of jaw deformity treatment during pre-graduate education was high at approximately 70％, the number of clinical trainees who answered that their understanding had deepened at the end of clinical training was low at 23.5％.
In clinical training for dentists, there are few opportunities to maintain and update knowledge about jaw deformities, and it is assumed that the curriculum does not cover patients with malocclusions, including jaw deformities. It is suggested that there is a need for clinical training and a lifelong training curriculum to develop dentists who can provide appropriate information to patients with jaw deformity.
