British dental journal
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The coronavirus (COVID-19) has challenged health professions and systems and has evoked different speeds of reaction and types of response around the world. The role of dental professionals in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 is critically important. While all routine dental care has been suspended in countries experiencing COVID-19 disease during the period of pandemic, the need for organised urgent care delivered by teams provided with appropriate personal protective equipment takes priority. ⋯ Major and rapid reorganisation of both clinical and support services is not straightforward. Dental professionals felt a moral duty to reduce routine care for fear of spreading COVID-19 among their patients and beyond, but were understandably concerned about the financial consequences. Amidst the explosion of information available online and through social media, it is difficult to identify reliable research evidence and guidance, but moral decisions must be made.
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Background Following graduation, training costs for an individual trainee to achieve completion of specialist surgical training has been estimated to be between £20,000 to £71,431, and is expected to rise. Furthermore, there are other non-monetary costs to consider, including poor work-life balance and the burden of training on home life. Methods A 22-question online survey using SurveyGizmo was developed and emailed to all current UK and Ireland oral surgery trainees from 2016-2019. ⋯ Annual obligatory costs of up to £4,142 and a mean average spend of £9,240 on courses and £2,830 on conferences were reported. Childcare, relocating and textbooks were listed as additional costs incurred. Conclusion A standardised, transparent and more substantial financial support system is required for dental specialty trainees.