Dental practitioners’ perception of essential knowledge in occlusion: a large sample survey in China

A high percentage of practicing dentists surveyed in this national study of Chinese dental practitioners agreed that five topics are essential for undergraduate occlusion education: characteristics of functional occlusal contacts, occlusion and mandibular position, occlusal wear, occlusion biomechanics, and occlusal adjustment. However, some key topics including clinical manifestations and TMD examination methods were not viewed as essential by many respondents, indicating a gap between occlusion curriculum and the needs of clinical practice. This survey provided insights for optimizing occlusion education for the undergraduate dental curriculum and continuing education for dental practitioners.