Comparison of the Postgraduate Orthodontics Curriculum in Mashhad Dental School with the Top Ten Dental Schools in the World

Abstract

Background: Recognizing and reviewing the educational curricula of the specialized fields of dentistry and comparing it with the curricula of the top universities in the world will help to provide the necessary changes and corrections in postgraduate dental education, leading to more skilled specialists. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the orthodontics post graduate curriculum of Mashhad dental school with the top 10 international dental schools. Methods: Twenty-two of the world's top universities (10 main and 12 reserve) that offer orthodontics postgraduate programs were selected. A checklist including eight key factors and some secondary variables was prepared. These factors were classified as quantitative and qualitative. The checklist was filled with information provided by university websites and contacting program directors using email. A sample t-test and descriptive-analytic approach were respectively used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Among the quantitative factors that were evaluated, only the “percentage of completely treated patients” was significantly lower in Mashhad dental school compared with that of the top 10 international dental schools. There was no significant difference regarding the length of study, the number of professors, and the number of patients visited by each resident. Among the qualitative factors, the most diversity was seen in certificates awarded to graduates. Conclusions: No significant difference was observed in didactic education, clinical training, and research project conduction between the orthodontics post graduate program of Mashhad dental school and top-tier international universities.