Review of the ‘second degree’ universities of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) specialists and trainees in the UK. Locations of their graduate entry medicine and graduate entry dentistry degrees, graduating between 1979–2019

Abstract

By spending 3-5 years in a single location studying for their second degree, OMFS trainees often put down domestic roots which they are reluctant to pull up to complete their training elsewhere. The universities at which OMFS specialists/trainees obtained their second degrees were assembled using the General Medical Council’s OMFS specialist list, the General Dental Council’s Dental Register and a database of OMFS trainees and consultants. The second degrees of 818 past and current OMFS specialists/trainees were analysed. The most common location for second degrees of either type was London 287 (35%) followed by Birmingham 67 (8%), then Cardiff 51 (6%) and Manchester 45 (6%). There is a trend, with time, to more OMFS trainees obtaining their second degree in London. For those 689 whose second degree was medicine, London was the top location with 206 (30%) followed by Birmingham 67 (10%) and Cardiff 50 (7%). For those 129 whose second degree was dentistry, London was the top location with 81 (63%) followed by Europe 11 (9%) and Ireland 7 (5%). The predominance of London as a source of their second-degree for both ‘dentistry first’ and ‘medicine first’ OMFS trainees impacts on recruitment. Many who study in London want to train/work in or near London. Understanding where OMFS trainees obtain their second degrees, may help those planning for the future workforce for example creating opportunities outside London.