Benchmarking Pediatric Dental Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) Through Residency

To examine pediatric dentistry residency program directors' (PDs) perspective on establishing consensus regarding expected timing of unsupervised practice for each pediatric dentistry entrustable professional activity (EPA).

A benchmarking survey on EPAs and readiness for unsupervised practice was distributed via email to pediatric dentistry PDs in the United States and Canada. The survey included specific instructions to guide PDs to choose one point along a continuum that corresponded with when a resident should be able to practice each task without supervision. Eighty-percent agreement was used to establish consensus. Demographics and information on future use of EPAs were also collected and descriptive statistics were completed.

Thirty-eight percent (41/108) PDs responded to the survey. Consensus was established for all EPAs presented, showing a progression in independence with increased time in residency. Over 90% (37/41) of PDs indicated that they were "very likely or likely" to use national EPA benchmarking to aid in assessing their residents' progression through their program.

A national consensus on EPAs allows for pediatric dentistry residency programs to be transparent in expectations of resident progression through a training program. By developing a timeline for when the average resident is ready to progress from simple to advanced tasks, programs can award increased independence and ensure that residents (and graduates) provide safe care at the proper supervision level.