Parth, D Shah
Samuel, E O'Brien
John, N Norfleet
Ryan, M Nguyen
Brian, P Ford
| Parth, D Shah | Samuel, E O'Brien | John, N Norfleet | Ryan, M Nguyen | Brian, P Ford |
Parth D Shah, Samuel E O'Brien, John N Norfleet, Ryan M Nguyen
Brian P Ford
Oral Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Introduction
A dental student’s time in dental school is spent studying basic and clinical sciences, learning hand skills, and improving clinical confidence. Although dental students are taught to identify many lesions of the oral cavity, not all students are taught how to properly biopsy these lesions. Performing a biopsy is often within the scope of a dental student’s capabilities and plays an important role in early detection and management of oral pathology. The purpose of this study was to gauge the confidence level of dental students in their ability to perform a biopsy and to explore the potential need for teaching this critical procedure in dental schools.
Methods
An online survey composed of 10 questions was distributed to U.S. dental schools and data was collected on dental students’ opinions and answers. The survey collected information on students' confidence in taking a biopsy, opinions on whether biopsy technique should be taught in pre-doctoral courses and assessed whether students knew which biopsy technique to use in different scenarios. Survey answers and percentages were analyzed.
Results
120 responses to the survey were obtained from 17 dental schools. Fourth-year dental students made up 34% of responses, third-years 56% of responses, and second-years 9% of responses. 74% of respondents were hesitant or very hesitant in their ability to perform a biopsy. 85% of respondents think being able to take a biopsy is somewhat important or very important. 72% of respondents have not had a course demonstrating or describing the steps involved in taking a biopsy.
Conclusion
The results we obtained from the 120 survey responses of current dental students strongly support the notion that dental students feel uncomfortable performing biopsies and, more importantly, are not taught the necessary clinical steps in taking a successful biopsy.