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Global Survey of Nutrition Education in Dental Schools: Current Practices and Opportunities
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Global Survey of Nutrition Education in Dental Schools: Current Practices and Opportunities

Michael Crowe, Riva Touger-Decker, Patricia Correia, Claire McEvoy and Teresa A Marshall
European journal of dental education
07/02/2026
DOI: 10.1111/eje.70230
PMID: 42394278
url
https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.70230View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Nutrition is central to oral health, yet curriculum content and teaching approaches vary widely across dental schools globally. To characterise current nutrition education practices in dental schools worldwide, identify regional variations, explore barriers and identify opportunities for curriculum enhancement. Online survey of dental schools (March-April 2025) examining nutrition curriculum structure, content coverage, research activity, teaching methods, resources, faculty and barriers. Descriptive statistics and inferential tests (chi-square, Fisher's exact, Kruskal-Wallis with Bonferroni correction) were used for regional comparisons. Fifty-five schools participated (Europe n = 25, North America n = 13, Other Regions n = 17). While 98% include diet-caries relationships in curricula, only 79% rate content as adequate. Larger adequacy gaps exist for basic diet and nutrition principles (91% coverage, 51% adequate), counselling techniques (79% coverage, 36% adequate) and special populations (74% coverage, 17% adequate). Substantial variation exists in curriculum hours (range: 2-150; mean: 26; median: 15). Teaching remains predominantly lecture-based (95%), with limited clinical application (36%). Collaboration interest was consistently high across regions (88%-100%), while professional involvement of dietitians/nutritionists was low (32%-38%). Primary barriers include limited curriculum time (75%), low curricular priority (40%) and lack of expertise (33%). This global survey reveals substantial gaps between nutrition education coverage in oral health and self-reported adequacy. High collaboration interest (91%) among dental educators provides an opportunity to address common barriers through coordinated curriculum development and shared educational resources.
 dental education oral health nutrition curriculum dental schools collaboration

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