Zamanifar Aryana, Asgari Imaneh
Department of Oral Public Health, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran.
Department of Oral Public Health, Dental Material Research Center, Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Dent Res J (Isfahan). 2022 Aug 16;19:69. eCollection 2022.
Continuing professional development (CPD) is a life-long learning process for all health-care members including dentists to improve their knowledge and skills in their profession and provide the best quality services. This study aimed to assess the needs, priorities, and obstacles of attending dentists in these programs in Isfahan province, in 2020.
This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on general dentists in Isfahan province. Data were collected through a three-part questionnaire, online and on paper; it included demographic information, prioritization of seven disciplines, and scoring of 33 dental subfields, as well as obstacles limiting participation in the CPD programs. This questionnaire was developed and validated by researchers. Statistical analysis was carried out through Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Chi-square tests, and a significance level of 0.05 was considered.
Of 326 dentists (90.5% response rate) participating in this study, 157 were (48.2%) female, and most of them were in the high work experience group (45.1%). The highest mean scores standard deviation related to the dentist's interest and needs, among the seven dental disciplines, belonged to practice management (6.68 [2.9]), oral and dental reconstruction (6.29 [2.55]), and pediatric dentistry (6.291 [2.87]). On the other hand, lack of time (70.6%), inefficient teaching methods and organization (65%), and irrelevant topics (58.6%) were the most common obstacles limiting dentists in the CPD programs.
Based on the results of this study, dentists in Isfahan province reported more interest and need to participate in some fields of CPD courses including practice management, pediatric dentistry, and oral and dental reconstruction. Thus, a system for continuing education based on dentists' needs and preferences is highly suggested.
持续专业发展（CPD）是包括牙医在内的所有医疗保健人员的终身学习过程，以提高他们在专业领域的知识和技能，并提供最优质的服务。本研究旨在评估2020年伊斯法罕省在职牙医参加这些项目的需求、优先事项和障碍。
本描述性分析横断面研究针对伊斯法罕省的普通牙医进行。数据通过一份分为三部分的问卷收集，问卷有在线和纸质两种形式；问卷包括人口统计学信息、七个学科的优先级、33个牙科亚专业的评分，以及限制参与CPD项目的障碍。该问卷由研究人员编制并验证。通过Mann-Whitney检验、Kruskal-Wallis检验和卡方检验进行统计分析，显著性水平设定为0.05。
参与本研究的326名牙医（回复率90.5%）中，157名（48.2%）为女性，其中大多数属于工作经验丰富组（45.1%）。在七个牙科领域中，与牙医兴趣和需求相关的平均得分标准差最高的分别是实践管理（6.68 [2.9]）、口腔和牙齿修复（6.29 [2.55]）以及儿童牙科（6.291 [2.87]）。另一方面，时间不足（70.6%）、教学方法和组织效率低下（65%）以及主题不相关（58.6%）是限制牙医参与CPD项目的最常见障碍。
基于本研究结果，伊斯法罕省的牙医表示对参与包括实践管理、儿童牙科和口腔及牙齿修复在内的一些CPD课程领域更感兴趣且有需求。因此，强烈建议建立一个基于牙医需求和偏好的继续教育体系。
