Establishing a postgraduate programme in orthodontics in the Caribbean: governance, collaborations and challenges, at the University of the West Indies

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and implementation of the first postgraduate orthodontic training programme in the English-speaking Caribbean and situate its establishment within international outlines for postgraduate dental education and global health workforce development. METHODS: A descriptive analysis was undertaken of the governance processes, curriculum development and institutional collaborations involved in establishing a postgraduate orthodontic programme at The University of the West Indies (UWI). Programme development incorporated regional workforce needs assessment, stakeholder consultation and benchmarking against internationally recognised competency frameworks, including those of the UK Specialist Advisory Committee and European postgraduate orthodontic education guidelines. RESULTS: The programme was developed through a multi-stage governance pathway within UWI and in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. A competency-based curriculum was constructed through structured mapping of programme learning outcomes to international orthodontic training standards. The three-year full-time programme integrates supervised clinical training, theoretical instruction and a research dissertation. Clinical training comprises approximately 24-28 hours weekly with structured workplace-based assessments and competency-based progression. Hybrid teaching models and international faculty support were introduced to address regional staffing limitations. CONCLUSIONS: The establishment of this programme represents a significant milestone in specialist dental education in the Caribbean. By combining international educational standards with regional contextual adaptation, the initiative provides a model for developing sustainable specialist training programmes in small-island and resource-constrained settings.