529 - A Survey of AAPD Pediatric Dental Residents on their experience in treating patients with interceptive orthodontics

Objective:
To survey current Academy of Pediatric Dentistry residents on their experience in treating patients with interceptive orthodontics.

Methods:
Pediatric dentistry residents enrolled in residency programs accredited by the Commision on Dental Accredidation received an email from the AAPD listserv announcing the study,
Residents that chose to participate navigated to the online survey and answered forty questions regarding their experience in treating patients with interceptive orthodontics.
Participants were thanked in advance for their participation and given contact information for the PI.

Results:
40 responses collected from 880 emails sent accounts for 4.5%.
Respondents were mainly from Northcentral (37.5%), Northeastern (32.5%), and Western (12.5%) regions.
Respondants were primarily from hospital-based certificate programs (52.5%), and 32.5% were from a combined program.
Ninety percent of respondents were from two year programs.
Seventy percent of respondents reported having courses in orthodontics, 42.5% reported having had courses in embryologic and fetal development, 32.5% had cephalometrics, and 25% had postnatal development.
Ninety percent of respondents have experience in passive space holding, 47.5% reported experience in active space regaining, and 23% reported experience in incisor relocation.
Respondents have more experience with lower lingual holding arches than transpalatal arches and more experience with passive appliances than either active ones or habit appliances.

Conclusions:
Educational experience for pediatric dental residents is limited and does not provide sufficient hands-on clinical training to effectively use devices to affect commonly encountered conditions to dental arch and facial development.
Pediatric dental residents leave residency with a "dry-lab" experience and readings regarding common clinical encounters, yet are not prepared to clinically activate change effectively.