Interest in oral and maxillofacial surgery among final year dental students and dental interns and its effect on knowledge and confidence in making clinical decisions

Abstract

Background: Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) is a surgical specialty that covers a wide scope of management. This translates to a high inflow of patients and an increased workload for practitioners. This increased workload may affect the interest of young dental practitioners in the specialty which may negatively influence their productivity.

Objectives: To determine the level of interest in OMFS and its effect on knowledge and confidence in clinical decision making among final year dental students and dental interns.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Lagos and the Dental Center, Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Participants were final year dental students and dental interns. Interest in OMFS for future specialization, knowledge on management of OMFS cases, and level of confidence in management choices were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire.

Results: A total of 64 dental students and interns with mean age of 25.9±2.09 years participated in the study. Among the 22 (34.4%) participants interested in OMFS, 12 (12/22, 54.5%) had high level of knowledge while among the 42 (65.6%) participants not interested in OMFS, only 15 (15/42, 35.7%) had high level of knowledge. Similarly, among participants interested in OMFS, 15 (15/22, 68.2%) had high confidence in their clinical decisions in OMFS case management while among participants not interested in OMFS, 24 (24/42, 57.1%) had high confidence. There was no statistically significant relationship between interest in OMFS and knowledge and confidence level (p> 0.05 for both relationships).

Conclusion: The majority of participants included were not interested in OMFS as a future specialty. Among those interested, the majority had a high level of knowledge and confidence. Although these results were not statistically significant, they highlight the importance of interest in productivity.