Program directors' opinions on the competency of postdoctoral general dentistry program graduates

Meeting the demand for postdoctoral general dentistry programs will require new, innovative, and flexible models. Many believe that these new models must be competency-based and focus on the outcomes of postdoctoral general dentistry training rather than on the structure and process of that training. The Section on Postdoctoral General Dentistry of the American Association of Dental Schools formed a broadly representative working group in the fall of 1994 to develop a set of competency and proficiency statements describing graduates of postdoctoral general dentistry programs. PGD program directors were then surveyed to determine the extent to which they felt these competencies matched their concepts of the PGD graduate. Between 44 and 65 competency statements that were rated highly by program directors could serve as the basis for a "core" set of statements to describe the abilities of graduates of postdoctoral general dentistry programs. These data should stimulate further discussion among educators, program directors, accrediting bodies, and government agencies about the future of postdoctoral general dentistry programs.