Assessment of global health programs at accredited dental schools in the United States

Oral diseases pose a serious global health challenge. As such, dental education must integrate global health with emphasis on scalable and sustainable solutions. The aim of our study was to capture the scope of global health programs offered to dental students in the United States and identify ways in which dental schools may modify their curricula to improve global health knowledge and accessibility for students.

For this cross-sectional, cohort study, the investigators sent a confidential and electronic survey to 213 faculty members at the 67 accredited dental schools in the United States. This voluntary survey was distributed in September and October of 2020 with answers being self-reported.

A total of 40 different schools are represented in this study, representing 59.7% of accredited dental schools in the United States. Using descriptive statistics, the results present existing global health opportunities, barriers preventing schools from expanding global health education, and necessary resources that schools without a program need to establish one.

Our results demonstrate promising findings, in relation to global health being a vital part of dental education. However, there is an urgent need for enhanced and more structured education in this space. As the global burden of oral disease contributes to the degree and severity of noncommunicable diseases worldwide, the development of a sustainable, preventive primary care approach must integrate oral health, making future dental professionals a crucial component of global health.