Medical and Dental Students’ Perception of Interdisciplinary Knowledge, Teaching Content, and Interprofessional Status at a German University: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Although oral health is considered a key indicator of overall health, dentistry is still neglected in medical education at the university level. Interprofessional education (IPE) is an important tool to promote collaboration among health care providers and to reduce barriers to access in health care. In this cross-sectional study, medical and dental students at Mainz University, Germany, were surveyed regarding their perception of interdisciplinary knowledge, teaching content, interprofessional standing, and attitudes toward IPE. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to identify associated statements. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to understand how sex, study progress, and prior education might influence student attitudes. In total, 426 medical students and 211 dental students were included in the study. Dental students rated their interdisciplinary knowledge higher than medical students. The relevance of IPE as assessed by the students correlated significantly with their motivation to continue IPE after graduation. Both groups of students valued the other discipline but rejected a combined graduate program. Students with prior professional training valued the synergy of medicine and dentistry more the students without prior training. Interprofessional knowledge and interest in IPE was higher among dental students. Understanding students’ attitudes toward IPE is an important prerequisite for adapting university curricula to strengthen students’ attitudes and motivation.