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Knowledge and Perception of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as a Specialty Amongst Dental and Medical Students at a Public University in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): A Comparative Study

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Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Awareness about the oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) specialty in the Gulf Cooperation Council has increased in recent years with the expanding scope of practice of the specialty. Nevertheless, the perception of OMFS has not yet been investigated among healthcare students. The aim of this study was to compare the perceptions and knowledge of dental and medical students about OMFS.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study evaluating 100 dental and 100 medical students attending Kuwait University was conducted using a previously validated survey instrument. Students were instructed to select the most appropriate specialist to treat certain procedures across four disciplines: reconstruction, trauma, pathology and cosmetic procedures. Student year groups were compared statistically using Fisher’s exact test.

Results

The responses of both student groups showed disparities, with dental students showing overwhelmingly more awareness of the practice of OMFS. OMFS was preferred overall for most clinical scenarios in trauma (p < 0.001), pathology (p < 0.001), and reconstructive surgery (p < 0.001). Plastic surgery was preferred for cosmetic surgeries (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Our findings prompt us to revisit our dental and medical school’s curriculum to increase the educational content related to OMFS procedures. Additional healthcare promotional campaigns and clinical awareness regarding OMFS are needed among healthcare professionals, university clinics and medical venues.

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Availability of Data and Material

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Abbreviations

OMFS:

Oral and maxillofacial surgery

ENT:

Ear, nose, and throat

PS:

Plastic surgery

GS:

General surgery

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Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Health Sciences Center, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait

    Mohammad Kamal & Mohammad Abdulwahab

  2. Kuwait Dental Administration, Ministry of Health, Safat, Kuwait

    Ahmed Al-Zaid

Authors
  1. Mohammad Kamal
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  2. Mohammad Abdulwahab
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  3. Ahmed Al-Zaid
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Contributions

MK and MA conceived and designed the study. MK collected the data work on the acquisition and analyses. MK and AA interpreted the data. MK, AA and MA have drafted the work or substantively revised it. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohammad Kamal.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest and nothing to disclose.

Ethics Approval

Participating students gave their consent and voluntarily filled out the questionnaire, and their responses were kept anonymous. The Ethical Committee at Kuwait University approved the study in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration.

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Electronic supplementary material

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12663_2020_1491_MOESM1_ESM.jpg

Figure S1. Combined responses from dental and medical students in each category: trauma, pathology, reconstructive surgery, and cosmetic surgery (JPEG 2425 kb)

Supplementary material 2 (PDF 75 kb)

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Kamal, M., Abdulwahab, M. & Al-Zaid, A. Knowledge and Perception of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as a Specialty Amongst Dental and Medical Students at a Public University in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): A Comparative Study. J. Maxillofac. Oral Surg. (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12663-020-01491-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12663-020-01491-z

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