The status of dental sleep medicine education in Australia and New Zealand in 2024

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the current status of dental sleep medicine education across dental schools in Australia and New Zealand and gain further insights into the educational background of dentists who have sat the Australasian Sleep Association Fellow of Dental Sleep Medicine examination in 2023. Methods: Online surveys were carried out, and descriptive statistics were used to analyse data. Results: All dental schools responded to the survey. Seventy per cent of the schools included dental sleep medicine as part of their curriculum, with an average total teaching time of 2.6 h. Dentists who sat the Fellow of dental sleep medicine examination spent on average 87 h preparing for the examination. All dental schools included discussion on pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnoea and oral appliance therapy, but did not adequately discuss advanced sleep medicine topics, clinical aspects in treatment planning or contemporary dental sleep medicine topics, whereas dentists that completed the Fellow of dental sleep medicine examination gained knowledge in all aspects of the field. Conclusion: Findings from the study reveal that dental schools across Australia and New Zealand are not delivering adequate levels of education in dental sleep medicine, and hence the current dental sleep medicine curriculum needs to be reviewed and improved.