Participation of dental practitioners in continuing professional development in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a cornerstone to staying abreast of the latest procedures and techniques, as well as ensuring safe practice. In most developed countries, and a few developing ones, dental professionals are required to participate in such programs as a prerequisite for renewing their licenses to practice. Although CPD is not compulsory in Sri Lanka, engaging in such programs demonstrates a dentist's commitment to enhancing the quality of patient care. This study seeks to investigate the significance of participation among dental practitioners in Sri Lanka and to uncover the factors that impact their involvement in CPD. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to dentists registered with the Sri Lanka Medical Council, via Google Form. Data analysis utilized SPSS version 21, employing descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression tests. The response rate was 18%, and the majority of the respondents were aged 31-50 (58.8%), female (56.6%), and married (83.8%). Most of the dentists had 11-30 years of experience (53.3%). 90.0% indicated participation in CPD at some point in their career, while 91.6% intended to engage in CPD within the next two years. Commonly reported reasons for attendance were to improve knowledge (95.7%), learn new skills (81.8%), and socialize with colleagues (49%). Dentists working only in the government sector had lower odds (OR = 0.567, p = 0.036) of socializing with colleagues. Among the different types of CPD activities, lectures (84.5%), workshops (66.1%), discussions with dental colleagues (64.1%), and web- based learning (62.8%) were common. Dentists working only in the private sector (OR=3.022, p=0.029) and those aged 31-50 (OR=2.067, p=0.040) were more likely to engage in discussions with dental colleagues. Factors influencing attendance included course content (95.7%), lecturer identity (87.3%), and delivery mode (86.9%). The results of our study underscore the active involvement of Sri Lankan dental professionals in CPD, indicating their favorable attitude and dedication to continuous learning and skill refinement.