The performance of the two-year postgraduate year dentist training program in Taiwan

Background/purpose: The postgraduate year dentist training program (PGYD) officially implemented in 2010. This study aimed to assess PGYD trainees’ subjective satisfaction perception and objective competence performance according to different training institutions (either dental clinics or hospitals). Materials and methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2018. Subjective satisfaction questionnaires from 222 PGYD trainees and 166 PGYD trainees’ scores of objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) were collected for analysis. The t-test and logistic regression were used to compare differences between two groups. Results: In subjective satisfaction, PGYD trainees in hospitals revealed less positive perceptions on teachers (odds ratios [ORs] range: 0.33–0.7) and on training plans and auxiliary facilities (ORs range: 0.23–0.69), but they had more opportunities to attend and present at professional meetings than those in clinics. In PGYD trainees’ opinion, the optimal training period allocation was 25% in hospitals and 75% in clinics. Overall, trainees in hospitals had better OSCE scores than those in clinics (OR [95% confidence interval, CI]: 3.12 [1.68–5.79]), except for the item of “the relation between physical condition and dental treatment outcome” (0.3 [0.1–0.97]). Conclusion: PGYD trainees in dental clinics have more positive perceptions on teachers and on training plans and auxiliary facilities, but PGYD trainees in hospitals have better OSCE scores. PGYD trainees prefer to be trained in clinics for a better connection with future careers, while hospitals can offer better training for PGYD trainees to become independent dentists because they have better training environment and more educational resources.