Jan. 11, 2019 Western Pacific Publication

A review of the hours dedicated to oral health education in medical programmes across Australia.

Oral health is an important predictor for general health, and poor oral health is interrelated with the manifestations of systemic disease. So the aim of this study was to determine the extent of oral health education in medical schools across Australia.
A survey of Australian medical schools was conducted (September 2013 to June 2014). Data were descriptively analysed.
The results indicate that Australian medical school graduates have little, if any, foundational knowledge of oral health (dental caries, bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease, oral cancer and dental emergencies).