A 15-Year Review of Trainee Contributions to the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Exploring the concerns of second-degree dental students on entering specialist OMFS training and their attitudes towards the second-degree curriculum

Within the UK, oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) is a competitive specialty with a rigorous training programme that currently requires dual degrees in both medicine and dentistry. Training in OMFS can present various challenges in terms of finances, length of training, and work-life balance. The current study explores the concerns of second-degree dental students in trying to obtain an OMFS specialty training post, as well as their views on the second-degree curriculum. An online survey was distributed via social media to second-degree dental students across the UK and 51 responses were received. Respondents cited a lack of publications (29%), specialty interviews (29%), and the OMFS logbook (29%) as the primary concerns about securing a higher training post. Eighty-eight per cent felt there were elements of repetition within the second degree for which competencies had already been achieved, and 88% agreed with streamlining the curriculum within the second degree. We propose that the second degree should incorporate ways to build the OMFS ST1/ST3 portfolio as part of a tailored curriculum, removing or condensing the repetitive elements, and instead emphasising areas of concern for trainees such as research, operative experience, and interview guidance. Second-degree students should be provided with mentors with an interest in research and academia to provide guidance and promote early interest in academia.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Dental Students Seek Academically Productive Mentors

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a strong statistical correlation exists between the involvement of trainee groups and the academic productivity of the senior author.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of publications in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from 2002 to 2016 was designed and implemented. The primary predictor variables were the presence of a trainee (dental student or oral and maxillofacial surgery [OMS] resident), year of publication, and study design and topic. The outcome variable was the Hirsch index (h-index) of the senior author. Author affiliations were queried using ScienceDirect, and the Scopus database was used to identify the h-index of the senior author from each publication spanning the previous 15 years. Descriptive statistics and t tests were performed to determine significance.

RESULTS

Of the 6,398 articles published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from January 2002 to December 2016, 1,341 (21.0%) met the inclusion criteria. The mean h-index of senior authors of articles with trainees or OMS residents was not significantly different from the mean h-index of senior authors without trainees (P = .50) or OMS residents (P = .37), whereas the mean h-index of senior authors working with dental students was significantly greater than the h-index of those not working with dental students (P < .01). Dental student mentors had a mean h-index that was below the sample mean from 2002 to 2007 but rose above the sample mean from 2010 to 2016. Trainees were more likely to work with academically productive mentors in orthognathic surgery (P < .01), temporomandibular joint (P < .05), retrospective cohort (P < .05), and innovative technique (P < .05) studies but less likely in randomized controlled trials (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Dental students seek more academically productive mentors to a greater degree. More studies should be conducted to elucidate the attributes of the ideal mentor in academic OMS and to determine whether differences in mentorship exist between domestic and foreign OMS programs.