Undergraduate dental sleep medicine teaching at German university dental schools - a questionnaire-based survey

Diagnosing and treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) requires fundamental understanding of sleep medicine, including training and clinical experience. So far, dental sleep medicine (DSM) has not yet become a mandatory part of dental education in Germany. This questionnaire-based survey for both lecturers and students aimed to evaluate DSM education among undergraduate students.

A structured questionnaire was sent to the managing directors and student councils of all 30 German university dental schools. The questionnaire contained 13 questions on teaching quantity and content, lecturers' knowledge, and future interest in DSM. For each university dental school, only one questionnaire should be completed by the student council and the managing director. A scoring system assessed lecturers' knowledge based on clinical experience and qualifications. Descriptive data and correlation coefficients were calculated (P < 0.05).

The responses of 24 lecturers (80%) and 28 students (93.3%) could be evaluated. DSM was reported to be included in the curriculum by 14 lecturers (58.3%) and 4 students (14.3%). Mean teaching hours per semester were 1.4 ± 1.4 h (lecturers) and 0.2 ± 0.6 h (students) accordingly. Greater knowledge of lecturers in DSM was positively correlated with the inclusion of DSM in the curriculum (P = 0.022) and with the number of teaching hours per semester (P = 0.001).

Postgraduate education and incorporating DSM knowledge into undergraduate education ("Teach the Teacher") seems to play a key role in fundamentally training future dentists in this field.