Poll finds new dentists lack confidence

The University of Hong Kong dental school disputes a survey by the Dental Association that shows a crisis of confidence among new dentists.

The association - which surveyed 102 of the 238 dentists who graduated from the dental school between 2004 and 2008 about how they perceived their competence - has called on the school to consider introducing a one-year internship for new graduates so they can have more vocational training before entering practice.

The survey, commissioned by the association and done by City University Professional Services and the university's department of marketing in February 2009, has never been made public. The association compared its findings with a previous survey by the HKU dental school of graduates between 1997 and 2001.

The 2004-08 graduates felt less prepared for practice than those who graduated between 1997 and 2001 - 42 per cent of the later graduates said they were not prepared for general patient management, compared with less than 30 per cent in the earlier group. The 'ill-preparedness' ratio was higher in more specialised areas, including oral rehabilitation, orthodontics, managing children and special needs patients, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.

The association survey also found 40 per cent of respondents were not confident to practise independently.

Some findings point a finger at the dental school's 'problem-based learning' curriculum introduced in 1998. Some members of the profession complain the new curriculum gives inadequate weight to training in practical skills.

The study found most graduates disagree that solely problem-based learning is adequate.

The association also collected views from 52 supervisors or employers of dentists who graduated between 2004 and 2008. Only a quarter said the dentists' practical skills lived up to expectation, and only 15.8 per cent said the dentists were well prepared to practise independently.

Dental Association chairman Dr Sigmund Leung Sai-man said the survey showed the practical skills of new dentists needed to be improved.

'The purpose of the survey is to identify areas of concerns,' he said. 'We are not academics so we present the findings to the dental school for its consideration. The school could consider a one-year internship for new graduates. Hong Kong doctors have to take a one-year internship after graduation but dentists do not have such an arrangement.'

But HKU dean of dentistry Professor Lakshman Samaranayake said he disputed the association's survey findings, citing a low response rate of 43 per cent. According to the school's own survey, conducted with similar methodology, more than 90 per cent of graduates found themselves 'well' or 'very well' prepared for general patient management, he said.

The survey, conducted by the school's clinical associate professor Cynthia Yiu Kar-yung with a research grant, received 159 responses from 2004-08 graduates, a response rate of 66 per cent. Samaranayake said it was more reliable because it surveyed more graduates.

Samaranayake defended the new curriculum, saying it had not cut practical training, which had been kept at about 60 per cent of the curriculum. He admitted he had heard informal complaints through the Dental Council that some HKU graduates did not have adequate technical skills, but there had never been any statistics and real cases to back up those statements, he said.

Dental Council chairman Dr Homer Tso Wei-kwok said the conflicting findings of the surveys was proof that external accreditation of the school was the best way to assess its quality of training. 'The association's findings show there is a problem but we don't know the exact magnitude,' he said.

'For technical procedures, you need some repetitive exercise, same as you need to wash rice for a year before you can become a sushi chef. This is old-fashioned, but this is carpentry. Technical competencies are equally important; if you are good at diagnosis but you can't deliver the technical aspect of it, you still are not competent.'

Teeth bared

A survey by the Dental Association of 102 dental school graduates and 52 supervisors/employers found that

40% of graudates were not confident about practising independently

25% of employers or supervisors said the young dentists' skills were up to scratch

15% of employers or supervisors said the young dentists were competent enough to practise independently