A Survey of Dental Implant Instruction in Predoctoral Dental Curricula in North America

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent and forms of predoctoral implant dentistry instruction in North American dental schools and to identify future directions and challenges. The survey collected data on curriculum content, departmental oversight, techniques, and materials, as well as current problems to be solved. The 30-question survey was sent in 2012 to the dean or administrator in charge of the predoctoral curriculum of all 73 dental schools in the U.S. and Canada at the time; four reminders were sent. Forty-seven schools responded, for a response rate of 64%. Of the 47 responding schools, 46 (98%) offered didactic instruction (mean of 17 hours); 87% had a laboratory component (mean of 14.46 hours); and 57% had a clinical requirement. In the responding schools, students had an average of 1.85 implant restorative cases and 0.61 surgical cases. Forty-two of the schools (89%) had implemented observation of implant surgery and/or assisting with implant surgery in their curricula. Major challenges reported in implementing a comprehensive predoctoral implant curriculum included expense of implant systems to the schools and to patients, shortage of predoctoral cases, and lack of curriculum time and trained faculty. These results show that implant education for predoctoral dental students continues to expand, with a trend towards more preclinical exercises and clinical experiences and fewer didactic courses.