Oral Health Knowledge and Training of French Community Pharmacy Students

To investigate the sixth-year community pharmacy French students' perception of their oral health education and knowledge.

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire sent by e-mail to sixth-year community pharmacy students of 20 faculties of pharmacy. Data were collected online, and descriptive data analyses were conducted.

A total of 318 students responded to the survey. The majority (n = 308) felt that courses in dentistry would be useful for their future practice. Two-thirds of students (n = 228) rated their perceived knowledge as 'insufficient' or 'non-existent'. More than half reported feeling uncomfortable when facing a patient presenting to the pharmacy with an oral health complaint or pathology. Overall, participants emphasised the importance of strengthening oral health training and improving communication between pharmacists and dentists. A collaboration between pharmacists and dentists could improve patient care, according to 298 students.

The results showed that, although students reported some familiarity with oral health conditions, their perceived knowledge remained limited. Since the study assessed perceived knowledge rather than objectively measured competence, the findings should be interpreted with caution. These findings suggest that strengthening oral health education in pharmacy studies could help improve pharmacists' confidence in managing oral-health-related situations and appropriately referring patients when necessary.