Undergraduate and Postgraduate Special Needs Dentistry Curricula for Oral Health Therapists: A Delphi Study

Abstract

Aim: To develop a consensus-based curriculum outline for special needs dentistry (SND) tailored to oral health therapists (OHTs),ensuring relevance and applicability across undergraduate and postgraduate education in Australia.

Methods: A four-round online modified Delphi study was conducted. The first three rounds involved both Australian and international experts, while the final consensus round was limited to Australian experts. Experts were selected using purposive sampling based on their experience in SND education, clinical practice, or curriculum development. Participants completed semi-structured surveys derived from publicly accessible learning outcomes (LOs) in student handbooks of undergraduate oral health programs and postgraduate SND specialist programs. Additional insights were drawn from the International Association for Disability & Oral Health (iADH) and the Australian Dental Council (ADC) competency guidelines. Across the rounds, experts rated the importance of proposed LOs, identified their appropriate educational level (undergraduate/postgraduate), and provided qualitative feedback. Consensus was defined a priori as ≥ 70% agreement. Modifications were made between rounds based on expert feedback.

Results: In Round 1, 24 experts completed, with 66 of 67 LOs reaching consensus. In Round 2, 20 experts assessed 98 LOs(including new and revised items, categorized into undergraduate and postgraduate), with 96 (97.9%) reaching consensus. Round3 involved 16 experts reviewing unresolved and newly added items; two items did not reach consensus. The final round resulted in consensus on all outstanding LOs and confirmed the overall framework’s relevance to the OHT scope and context. Key refinements across rounds included improved clarity in applying Bloom’s Taxonomy, clearer undergraduate/postgraduate differentiation, and increased specificity to SND. The final document, “Undergraduate and Postgraduate Special Needs Dentistry Curricula for Oral Health Therapists” can be downloaded from the Appendices in the Supporting Information.