The Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future is a worldwide group of experts who have joined together to promote integrated clinical and public health action in order to stop caries initiation and progression so that a move can be made towards a cavity-free future for all. The group believes that global collaborative action is needed to challenge global leaders and local stakeholders to learn about the importance of caries as a disease continuum and to participate in action toward the delivery of comprehensive caries prevention and management that can positively influence the continuing problem of caries. The Australian and New Zealand chapter of ACFF was launched in November 2013. One of the primary aims of the local ACFF Chapter was to conduct a survey of the learning and teaching in undergraduate education in cariology in dentistry and oral health therapy programs in Australia and New Zealand.
The Survey
The project was supported by Colgate and approved by the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee. A questionnaire was developed using the framework of the European organisation for Caries Research (ORCA)/Association of Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) cariology survey (Schulte et al, 2011) conducted in Europe in 2009. Once developed the survey was distributed to the key cariology curriculum coordinator for each Australian and New Zealand institution via Survey Monkey. The survey link was emailed in January 2015 and the final response received May 2016. On completion of the data collection, 17 Responses from total of 21 programs had been received – 8 Dentistry programs and 9 Oral Health Programs. Feedback from the responses showed that the questionnaire was lengthy and difficult to complete due to the cariology curriculum often being spread across several disciplines within these programs. This factor probably resulted in 4 surveys not being completed and a further 3 of the 17 responses being only partially completed.
Click here for a download of the survey results.
Reference: Schulte AG et al. A survey on education in cariology for undergraduate dental students in
Europe. Eur J Dent Educ 15 (Suppl 1); 3-8: 2011.