Qualitative comparison of curricula in oral and maxillofacial surgery training. Part 1: dental foundation training

Dental foundation training (DFT) is a two-year programme being introduced for new dental graduates. It is not currently compulsory but there are plans to make it so. Those studying oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) must complete both medical and dental degrees, and training, and if DFT becomes a requirement for dental registration, the process could be lengthened. We aimed to examine the overlap between DFT and medical foundation and core surgical training, to highlight areas of potential duplication for those who completed their surgical training before graduating from dental school. Relevant curricula for OMFS trainees were identified and compared with the DFT curriculum, and a qualitative assessment tool was developed to measure overlap between non-analogous curricula. Depending on previous experience, an OMFS trainee who completed core training in surgery before studying dentistry may already have covered 76% of the DFT curriculum. Areas with the least duplication in clinical skills (53%) were notably those related to restorative dentistry, prosthodontics, and periodontology, but there was considerable overlap in non-clinical areas such as communication skills (100%) and professionalism (90%). A method of standardised assessment of previous experience may allow for DFT to be shortened for OMFS trainees.