The aims of this study were to determine whether male vs. female oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) residents, academic surgeons (i.e., faculty members), and private practitioners in the U.S. differed in their general career satisfaction and job/professional satisfaction. Survey data were collected in 2011-12 from 267 OMS residents (response rate 55%), 271 OMS academic surgeons (response rate 31%), and 417 OMS private practitioners (response rates 13% web-based survey and 29% postal mail survey). The results showed that while the male vs. female OMS private practitioners and academic surgeons did not differ in their career satisfaction, the female residents had a lower career satisfaction than the male residents (on four-point scale with 4=most satisfied: 3.03 vs. 3.65; p<0.01). The male vs. female OMS private practitioners and academic surgeons also did not differ in their job satisfaction. However, the female residents agreed on average less that they were able to practice OMS in the way they want, felt less proud to be an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, were less satisfied with their career, and were more likely to consider a career change in the next five years than the male residents. While these male and female oral and maxillofacial surgeons in private practice and academia did not differ in their career and job satisfaction, the male and female residents differed significantly, with female residents reporting a significantly poorer career and job satisfaction than male residents. Future research needs to explore ways to improve career and professional satisfaction of female OMS residents.

Health humanities usually includes such disciplines as philosophy, ethics, history, literature, performing arts, and cultural anthropology. The aims of this scoping review were, first, to search the published literature for references to the humanities in predoctoral dental education and, second, to determine if any research studies found that introducing humanities in dental education improved the overall profile of dental graduates. Literature searches were run in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, ERIC, CINAHL, and Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source. A total of 248 articles were included in the review, with inclusion criteria comprising the areas of the curriculum, the scope of humanities, and predoctoral dental education. Of those articles, 101 referred in a targeted way to ethics in predoctoral dental education, while others mainly referred to the humanities in general or pointed out the role and place of humanities topics in predoctoral dental curricula. Topics covered included professional ethics, music, narrative learning, theater, art, communication skills, empathy, emotional intelligence, and cultural competence in the context of general humanistic education. The review found limited evidence of a clear impact, either short‐term or long‐term, of humanities education in predoctoral dental education. Reflections on humanistic education in the practice of clinical dentistry were sparse, as mainly documented by development of the ideal dentist‐patient relationship, enhancement of empathy for patients, and most importantly, construction of professional moral values.

This aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a simulation program for dental students to supplement a lecture‐based medical emergencies course. Students' self‐reported knowledge, experience, confidence, and ability regarding medical emergencies were assessed as program outcomes. For three years (in 2014, 2015, and 2016), all second‐year students (N=333) at one U.S. dental school were randomly assigned to groups of 15 and participated in 15 simulated clinical scenarios. All students completed a 21‐item pre‐post survey and rated their knowledge, experience, and confidence using simulated emergencies. Following the intervention, students' ability to complete critical actions was also peer‐assessed using a ten‐item checklist. Four open‐ended questions were included on the post‐intervention survey for acquisition of additional data. For all years, students' self‐reported measurements significantly improved with high practical impact (p≤0.001, g=|0.62, 3.93|), with the exception of calling 911 (knowledge). Peer‐rated performance indicated the students were deficient (<75% success) in the following: inhaler use, dose of local anesthetic, dose of epinephrine, and EpiPen use. Content analysis of students' comments pointed to areas that need improvement but found high satisfaction with the program. These findings indicate that this program improved students' knowledge, experience, and confidence using simulated medical emergencies.

Purpose While the numbers of oral maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) residents increased over time, women and residents from underrepresented minority backgrounds are still underrepresented. The objectives were to assess dental students’ OMFS‐related personal and educational experiences and attitudes and explore which factors correlate with their interest in future OMFS careers. Methods Data were collected from 493 dental students in 1 dental school and 206 students from 15 other US and Canadian dental schools. Results The students in the national sample were more likely to have experienced an OMFS procedure themselves (64.6% vs. 50.7%; P = 0.001), have shadowed an OMFS in an operating room (23.2% vs. 14.9%; P = 0.009) prior to coming to dental school and to be much/very much interested in an OMFS career (36.4% vs. 12%; P < 0.001) than the students at the home school. While the majority of both groups rated their experiences with rotations in the OMFS department in the dental school (68% vs. 62.5%) and in the hospital (80.3% vs. 85.7%) as very interesting, the students in the national sample were more likely to agree/strongly agree that they were satisfied with their OMFS experiences (68.1% vs. 36.3%; P < 0.001) and had learned a lot from the OMFS faculty (57.9% vs. 30.8%) than the students in the home school. For both groups, the degree of interest in an OMFS career correlated with having had more personal OMFS experiences (home: r = 0.28; P < 0.001/other: r = 0.39; P < 0.001), more interesting OMFS experiences in the dental school (r = 0.23; P < 0.05/r = 0.40; P < 0.001) and the hospital (0.33; P < 0.05/r = 0.50; P < 0.001) and more positive attitudes toward OMFS faculty (r = 0.26; P < 0.001/r = 0.37; P < 0.001). Conclusions Positive personal and educational OMFS experiences and positive attitudes toward OMFS faculty were associated with an interest in OMFS careers. These findings provide a basis for developing educational interventions aimed at increasing the percentage of women and residents from URM backgrounds in OMFS programs.

Whilst our students have lecture-based knowledge about medical emergencies, the results of our study identified a gap of knowledge of emergency equipment/item location amongst students. Therefore, an intervention performed with a similar group of second-year dental students supported that proper training may be used to achieve retention of knowledge. Based on our "novel group" results, we have incorporated targeted training in the dental curriculum that leads to students being better prepared in locating emergency equipment/items. This study suggests that other populations, such as faculty or staff, may also benefit from hands-on training.