Impact of a research requirement in a dental school curriculum

With reported shortages in full-time dental educators across the world, any exposure to teaching and/or research during dental school might increase a graduate's interest in an academic career. Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) has a mandatory research experience for all students enrolled in the Doctor of Dental Medicine program. Each year, the graduating class is surveyed about characteristics and outcomes of their research experience. The aim of this study was to use the resulting data for five years of graduating classes (2008 to 2012) to assess the impact of the research requirement. The results showed that 54 percent of these students had presented their research projects at a forum outside Harvard. Thirty-six percent had had their research published in peer-reviewed journals, 38 percent had manuscripts in preparation or submitted for review, and only 26 percent had no intention to publish their work. Overall, 81.5 percent felt positive about their research experience at HSDM. Only 48 percent said they would definitely have pursued research even if it was not compulsory, and 36 percent were uncertain. However, 83 percent said they would have some involvement in research during their careers, and only 10 percent were uncertain. Implementing a compulsory research experience may lead to increased numbers of graduates pursuing research in their careers and contributing to the scientific development of the dental profession.