A large-scale questionnaire survey and reflection on the demand of occlusion education in China

ZHANG Hongyun; ZHANG Jing; ZHANG Mian; GUO Shaoxiong; YANG Hongxu; LUO Ganyun; LU Lei; YU Shibin

doi:10.15956/j.cnki.chin.j.conserv.dent.2025.11.010

Abstract：Objective To investigate the understanding and demands of Chinese dental practitioners regarding the teaching priorities of occlusion courses,and to provide references for future precise teaching reform of occlusion courses at different educational levels.Methods Based on the fourth edition of the unified textbook of Occlusion published by People's Medical Publishing House,a large-scale questionnaire survey was conducted among dental practitioners using"Wenjuanxing",which focused on teaching model of occlusion courses,key content areas of occlusion courses,and professional needs.Results A total of 2,140 questionnaires were collected from 31 provinces and autonomous regions in China.Among the respondents,87.13%were dentists,38.74%specialized in general dentistry,and 77.29%had been worked for more than five years.81.59%of the respondents had systematically learned orthodontics knowledge during their studies,and 45.09%had systematically studied orthodontics knowledge at the undergraduate level.Nearly all respondents(98.83%)believed that systematically learning of occlusion is necessary,and 77.94%indicated that such training should occur around the period of undergraduate clinical internship.All respondents agreed with the key knowledge chapters of the traditional undergraduate orthodontics curriculum design,while those working in the fields of temporomandibular disorders and orthodontics focused more on specific areas such as occlusion,biomechanics,temporomandibular joint,and functional examination.Conclusion The teaching of occlusion should be combined with the actual needs of oral clinical practice and designed in a differentiated and hierarchical manner,thereby continuously improving the quality of occlusion teaching.