Abstract
Most of the current oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) specialty trainees in the
United Kingdom (UK) remain as those who first undertook a degree in dentistry. However,
OMFS is an increasingly popular career choice amongst ‘first degree’ medical school
graduates. The UK medical school curriculum should reflect this trend by ensuring
that there is sufficient teaching and exposure to allow medical students to make informed
career choices. The purpose of this study was to evaluate levels of awareness of,
exposure to, and teaching on, oral and maxillofacial surgery amongst undergraduate
medical students in the UK. An online survey was distributed via university representatives
and responded to by 76 final year medical students from 15 medical schools across
the United Kingdom. No OMFS-related clinical exposure was reported by 69 respondents
throughout their time at medical school. Of the seven who did report exposure, the
mean length of that exposure was four days. Sixty-three respondents believed that
medical students would benefit from more guidance and information on OMFS. Clinical
exposure to OMFS by medical undergraduates is low therefore awareness of the specialty
is limited. With many dissatisfied with the OMFS exposure and teaching provided by
their medical school it shows that there is no lack of interest in OMFS amongst medical
undergraduates, rather a lack of opportunity for them.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 06, 2023
Accepted:
December 31,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.