347 - Assessment of Nutrition Education in Pediatric Dentistry Training Programs

Purpose: This study evaluates the integration of nutrition education within pediatric dentistry training programs across the United States. It focuses on didactic content, clinical practices, and attitudes toward non-caries-related nutrition.

Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed electronically to 135 pediatric dentistry training directors across the U.S via the AAPD listserv. The survey included questions on didactic nutrition education, clinical nutrition practices, and attitudes toward non-caries-related nutrition education. A total of 18 responses were received, but 4 were excluded for incomplete responses or failure to meet inclusion criteria, leaving 14 surveys for analysis. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) without statistical comparisons.

Results: Of the 14 programs, only 28.6% had a registered dietitian/nutritionist on staff, while 50% referred patients externally for nutrition services. The integration of nutrition into clinical practice remained limited, with only 28.6% of programs documenting nutrition counseling using procedure code D1310. Most programs included key nutrition topics within their curriculum; however, trainee confidence in applying this knowledge clinically was low. Only 42.9% of directors expressed confidence in their trainees’ ability to assess nutrition risk, provide non-caries-related counseling, and refer patients to registered dietitians. Identified barriers to nutrition education included the lack of an on-site nutrition professional (28.6%), collaboration challenges (14.3%), and limited time for didactic (7.1%) and clinical (7.1%) training.

Conclusion: This study highlights a gap in nutrition education within pediatric dentistry training programs. While programs report covering key nutrition topics, there is an absence of standardized guidelines from the AAPD on the required number of hours and specified topics. Program directors also expressed the importance of integrating nutrition into their programs, highlighting the need for more structured didactic and clinical trainings. Future efforts should focus on incorporating standardized nutrition education guidelines and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration to help strengthen trainees' competency and confidence. Moving forward, further research is needed to gain a more comprehensive understanding and accurate analysis.