The teaching of removable partial dentures in dental schools in Oceania

To examine the current arrangements and trends in the teaching of removable partial dentures (RPDs) in dental schools in Oceania.

A validated and trialled 30-item electronic survey was sent via e-mail to 12 dental schools in Oceania that offered undergraduate dentistry. The survey explored various aspects of the teaching of RPDs in preclinical and clinical courses including: educational content and process, staff members involved, facilities and techniques utilized, clinical requirements, coursework evaluation and perceived challenges to RPD teaching.

The response rate of the survey was 75 % (n = 9). All respondent schools taught a preclinical course in RPD design and production, with the majority (67 %) starting the clinical provision of RPD patients in Year 3. The mean duration of the course was 63 h for hands-on activities and 23 h for didactic teaching. The courses were mainly taught by senior lecturers. On average, students made four units of acrylic RPD and two cobalt-chromium RPDs during the course. All respondent schools taught prescription writing for RPD. The majority of schools (n = 8) stated that they had an adequate patient pool for students to treat. Lack of adequately trained staff for teaching and pressure on teaching time from other sources were the most commonly reported challenges.

The structure and content of RPD courses in dental schools of Oceania provide an adequate level of competence on the subject, and is broadly similar to other parts of the world. Plans should be in place to maintain and improve the quality of educational programmes to keep pace with growing student numbers and the rapidly evolving profession.

With increasing numbers of patients presenting to general dental practitioners requiring complex RPDs, it is paramount that undergraduate training programs produce graduates with the competencies necessary to care for such patients to a high standard.