Advanced education in prosthodontics: residents' perspectives on their current training and future goals

The purposes of this study were to identify current prosthodontic residents' demographics and to document prosthodontic residents' perspectives on their clinical training and future goals.

A 52-item survey was created and distributed to prosthodontic residents in the United States on February 8, 2007. The data collected were analyzed; the means and standard deviations were calculated and ranked. Statistical analysis was conducted using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney analysis (p = 0.05).

A 43% response rate was achieved, representing approximately 48% of the total population of prosthodontic residents in the United States. The majority of residents ranked clinical education as the most important factor in selecting their programs, were satisfied with their training, and planned to pursue the certification of the American Board of Prosthodontics. When asked how often they planned to work, 4 days a week was the most common answer.

This is the first report identifying current prosthodontic residents' demographics and their perspectives on their clinical training and future goals. Several trends were identified, indicating a bright future for the specialty. By knowing the students' perceptions regarding their training and future goals, the American College of Prosthodontists and/or program directors will be able to use this information to improve residency programs and the specialty.