Student Perspectives of Access to Surgery Under General Anaesthetic in the Undergraduate Dental Curriculum

ABSTRACT Introduction Delivering dental graduates who are competent to carry out extractions and surgical extractions can be challenging. Access to general anaesthetic (GA) operating provides an opportunity not only for hands‐on experience but also to reinforce teaching in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The aim of this study was to determine what our final year students' perceptions were of exposure to GA operating lists. Materials and Methods This was a mixed‐methods prospective study involving an anonymous online questionnaire followed by a focus group. All final year students ( n = 60) were invited to participate by email at the end of the academic year and involvement in the focus group was voluntary. Information collected included the type of surgery observed, clinical experience gained and their impression of the experience and whether it influenced career aspirations. Results Forty‐one students completed the questionnaire (68%) and 10 students participated in the focus group (17%). All students observed treatment under GA and 38 (93%) treated cases under GA. Thirty‐nine (95%) students attended an oral surgery list and 33 (80.5%) attended an OMFS list. Most students carried out deciduous extractions (78%) and 15% carried out dentoalveolar surgery. Treatment observed was primarily oncological (70%) and dentoalveolar cases (54%). Access to GA was well received by the students who felt it provided improved teaching opportunities and helped to conceptualise the didactic teaching on the subject and place their dentistry within a wider healthcare context. Some students indicated a desire to pursue a career in oral surgery (37%) or OMFS (10%). Conclusion The results presented here are indicative that students appreciate the learning opportunity afforded by the GA experience and our recommendation would be to perpetuate access to GA lists and the associated surgical exposure.