Background: Medical-dental collaboration is essential for improving resource efficiency and standards of care.\nHowever, few studies have been conducted on it. This study aimed to investigate the attitude and awareness of\nmedical and dental students about collaboration between medical and dental practices in Hong Kong.\nMethods: All medical and dental students in Hong Kong were invited to complete a questionnaire survey at their\nuniversities, hospitals and residential halls. It contained 8 questions designed to elicit their attitudes about the\ncollaboration between medical and dental practice. Students were also asked about their awareness of the\ncollaboration between dentistry and medicine. The questionnaires were directly distributed to medical and dental\nstudents. The finished questionnaires were immediately collected by research assistants on site.\nResults: A total of 1,857 questionnaires were distributed and 809 (44%) were returned. Their mean attitude score\n(SD) towards medical-dental collaboration was 6.37 (1.44). Most students (77%) were aware of the collaboration\nbetween medical and dental practice in Hong Kong. They considered that Ear, Nose & Throat, General Surgery and\nFamily Medicine were the 3 most common medical disciplines which entailed collaboration between medical and\ndental practice.\nConclusion: In this study, the medical and dental students in general demonstrated a good attitude and awareness\nof the collaboration between medical and dental practice in Hong Kong. This established an essential foundation\nfor fostering medical-dental collaboration, which is vital to improving resource efficiency and standards of care.
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