Attitudes and perceptions of medical and dental students on the implementation of non-surgical facial aesthetics in their curricula

Abstract

There is an accelerated demand for non-surgical facial aesthetics (NSFA) encompassing the use of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers. Healthcare professionals may either treat NSFA-related complications in the public sector or practise in the private sector. Currently, there is no standardised undergraduate teaching in the UK to educate healthcare professionals on NSFA. The aim of our study was to compare medical and dental undergraduate students' perceptions and awareness of NSFA, and to understand its role if implemented in each curriculum in the UK. An online questionnaire was devised and distributed via social media platforms to medical and dental students across the UK. Student responses were anonymised and collated as quantitative data, and subsequently analysed. Of the 146 respondents, 89% had no previous teaching on NSFA. Ninety-three per cent of medics and 75% of dentists agreed or strongly agreed that non-surgical aestheticians require dental or medical knowledge to deliver NSFA, and 66% of medics and 75% of dentists agreed or strongly agreed that NSFA should be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum. Only 7% of medics and 8% of dentists were aware of the steps required to practise NSFA. Incoming doctors and dentists are showing interest in the field yet have no formal teaching in the area. Requiring healthcare professionals to have some baseline understanding of NSFA and its associated complications means that implementing formal education on the subject in the medical and dental curricula is an important consideration.