Bridging the Gap in Dental Technology Education: A Tripartite Survey of Higher Education Institutions, Employers, and Graduates

Bridging the Gap in Dental Technology Education: A Tripartite Survey of Higher Education Institutions, Employers, and Graduates | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Bridging the Gap in Dental Technology Education: A Tripartite Survey of Higher Education Institutions, Employers, and Graduates Xiaomei Hong, Zhong Chen, Jianlong Wei, Qing Ji This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8881048/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background/Purpose: As China's dental industry transitions towards digitalization and high-end development, the question of whether the undergraduate-level training system for dental technology professionals meets industry demands has become a critical issue. This study analyzes the degree of alignment between the training of undergraduate dental technology professionals and industry demands through surveys conducted with higher education institutions, employers, and dental technology graduates. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted from June to November 2024 to collect data from 27 undergraduate institutions, 68 employers, and 772 graduates nationwide. Comparative analyses were conducted of the three parties' perceptions of the job market, competency expectations, and curriculum design. Chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA were used to conduct inter-group difference tests. Results: The three parties demonstrated high consistency in identifying core employment directions and evaluating the importance of core professional courses. However, significant differences were observed in perceptions of employment positions, competency expectations, and the importance of non-core courses (all P < 0.05). Higher education institutions emphasized theoretical foundations and comprehensive development, assigning higher weight to all competency elements. Employers focused on job effectiveness, while graduates paid more attention to practical skills directly related to initial positions, with a greater emphasis on career planning awareness than employers expected, but placed significantly less importance on aesthetic courses than employers did. Conclusion: There are cognitive discrepancies among the three parties regarding the job market, competency requirements, and curriculum design in undergraduate dental technology education in China. It is recommended to strengthen industry-university cooperation, establish a stratified career guidance system, and improve a continuous feedback mechanism involving employers and graduates to dynamically optimize training objectives and curriculum systems, thereby narrowing the gap between educational supply and actual industry demand. Dental technology Talent cultivation Dental technician education Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 1 Introduction Oral health is an integral component of overall health and significantly influences individuals' quality of life and well-being. With rapid economic development and continuous improvement in living standards in China, there is a growing public demand for high-quality dental services [ 1 ]. This trend extends beyond basic oral disease treatment to include high-value consumer healthcare services such as orthodontics, dental implants, and aesthetic restorations, thereby raising new demands on both the quantity and quality of professional dental technicians. Dental technology is an applied interdisciplinary field that integrates medicine, engineering, and aesthetics, and plays a critical role in cultivating professionals capable of designing and fabricating dental prostheses. Its educational framework encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including oral anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, materials science, aesthetics, and digital manufacturing technologies [ 2 ][ 3 ][ 4 ]. As essential members of the dental healthcare team, dental technicians provide technical support in clinical practice [ 5 ][ 6 ]. They fabricate customized, precise prostheses based on dentists' prescriptions and patient oral models or digital data. Their competence directly influences the quality of dental services and the patient experience [ 7 ]. The dental industry is currently undergoing a profound technological transformation. The widespread application of digital dental technology is driving the industry towards greater precision, efficiency, and personalization, with advancements such as computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and materials science [ 8 ][ 9 ][ 10 ][ 11 ][ 12 ]. CAD/CAM technology has been widely used in the fabrication of dental prostheses, including removable partial dentures, improving accuracy and efficiency [ 13 ]. In the UK and Ireland, the majority of dental technicians report using CAD/CAM technology in their workflows [ 14 ]. However, this rapid development also highlights a mismatch between the existing talent-training system and industry demands. In China, dental technology professionals are primarily trained through higher vocational education (three-year programs) and undergraduate education (four-year programs) [ 15 ][ 16 ]. In 2005, Sichuan University launched China's first undergraduate program in "Prosthetic Technology" [ 17 ]. Since the discipline was renamed from "Prosthetic Technology" to "Dental Technology" and formally incorporated into the bachelor's degree program by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China in 2012, the field has gradually developed and matured [ 18 ]. However, the scale of undergraduate education in dental technology remains limited. As of 2024, only 35 universities nationwide offer bachelor's degree programs in dental technology, with an annual graduate output of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 students. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of rapid digitalization and advances in artificial intelligence, undergraduates who possess both specialized knowledge and interdisciplinary learning abilities are demonstrating greater competitiveness in the job market [ 19 ]. Traditional dental technology education has primarily focused on discipline-specific theoretical knowledge and technical skills. This educational model is increasingly struggling to meet the industry's demand for the integration of interdisciplinary competencies in areas such as digital technology and aesthetic design [ 20 ][ 21 ]. Existing research on dental technology education has primarily focused on curriculum design, teaching methodology reform, and professional skill development, with particular attention to the application of digital technologies and the cultivation of interdisciplinary competencies. Relevant studies cover various dimensions, including program development, practical teaching innovation, and employment status analysis. However, most existing research tends to adopt a single perspective, lacking a systematic comparative analysis that integrates the viewpoints of higher education institutions (HEIs), employers, and graduates [ 22 ][ 23 ][ 24 ][ 25 ]. Therefore, this study constructs a three-dimensional analysis framework that encompasses HEIs, employers, and graduates (Fig. 1 ). This framework emphasizes the bidirectional interactive relationship among the three parties: (1) between HEIs and employers—contrasting the alignment between talent cultivation positioning and the employment needs of the industry; (2) between HEIs and graduates—tracking graduates’ career development pathways and their feedback on curriculum design and training quality; and (3) between employers and graduates—assessing the alignment between competence requirements and current conditions. Questionnaire surveys will be used to collect the perspectives of the three parties on the job market, competency requirements, and curriculum design. The core objective of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of data from the three stakeholder groups to identify differences in talent cultivation, market demand, and graduate development in dental technology, thereby providing empirical evidence and directions for improvement to optimize talent cultivation pathways. 2 Materials and methods 2.1 Participants This study adopted a cross-sectional survey design, conducted from June to November 2024 under the guidance of the Dental Technology Sub-committee of the National Vocational Education Teaching Steering Committee for the Industry. Data were collected via online questionnaires administered concurrently to three groups: HEIs, employers, and graduates. This study employed a mixed sampling method to ensure sample representativeness and comprehensiveness. At the higher education institution level, a total sample survey was conducted, covering all 35 universities and colleges in China offering undergraduate programs in Dental Technology. The inclusion criteria were: (1) full-time undergraduate institutions that are registered with the Ministry of Education and are actively conducting teaching activities. Exclusion criteria are: (1) institutions that have suspended enrollment for the year or have questionable professional accreditation status. At the employer level, purposive sampling was adopted, with the sampling frame determined based on the employment distribution characteristics of the dental technology industry. The inclusion criteria were: (1) legally qualified dental laboratories (also referred to as denture prosthesis manufacturers); (2) well-known dental material and equipment supply companies; (3) dental departments in secondary or higher-level hospitals; (4) chain dental clinics that provide fixed prosthodontic services. The exclusion criteria were: (1) institutions operating for less than one year; (2) medical institutions without a professional technician workshop. At the graduate level, stratified random sampling was employed, with the graduating institution as the stratification basis. The inclusion criteria were: (1) undergraduate graduates from dental medicine technology programs within the previous four years; (2) those currently working in the dental or technician-related fields. The exclusion criteria were: (1) graduates currently engaged in work unrelated to the dental medicine technology field; (2) samples where more than 10% of key information in the questionnaire was missing; (3) individuals who did not sign the informed consent form or refused to participate in this study. 2.2 Questionnaires The questionnaire used in this study was developed by the research team specifically for this investigation. An English version of the questionnaire is provided as supplementary material (Supplementary material 1). It was developed based on a comprehensive literature review and expert consultations. It consists of two main parts: the first collects general information about HEIs, employers, and graduates, while the second captures the perspectives of the three stakeholder groups on dental technology professionals, divided into three parties regarding perceptions of the job market, competency requirements, and curriculum design. Employment market perceptions are assessed through respondents' evaluative judgments of their preferences for types of employment units and positions. Competency requirements encompass three dimensions: professional qualities, knowledge, and skills. Curriculum design includes five categories: dental specialty courses, dental fundamental courses, dental technology courses, aesthetic courses, and computer courses. The questionnaire primarily uses multiple-choice and ranking questions. Multiple-choice questions are used to gather respondents' opinions on employment directions, competency requirements, and the importance of courses; ranking questions are used to identify differences in the prioritization of different courses. Additionally, a question on satisfaction with institutional training quality was included specifically for the graduate group, using a Likert 5-point scale, where scores from 1 to 5 represent "very dissatisfied" to "very satisfied," respectively. This study strictly adhered to all relevant ethical requirements. The research protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xiamen Medical College, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to the completion of the questionnaire survey. 2.3 Statistical analysis All data were entered into an Excel file for management and analysis using SPSS 26.0. The count data are presented as frequency (n) and percentage (%), with intergroup comparisons using the Chi-square test. The measurement data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, and comparisons among multiple groups are conducted using one-way ANOVA. Further pairwise comparisons are performed using the LSD test. All statistical tests are considered statistically significant if P < 0.05. The course curriculum was measured through ranking questions. To quantify the overall ranking of each option in the ranking question, we calculated the "average composite score," and its calculation formula is as follows: $$\:\text{S}\text{c}\text{o}\text{r}\text{e}\left(option\right)=\frac{\sum\:_{i=1}^{n}{W}_{pos\left(i,\:option\right)}}{N}$$ Where: \(\:\text{S}\text{c}\text{o}\text{r}\text{e}\left(option\right)\) represents the Mean Comprehensive Score for a specific option. \(\:n\) denotes the total number of valid responses (equivalent to the total number of respondents \(\:\text{N}\) for this question). \(\:\text{p}\text{o}\text{s}\left(\text{i},\:\text{o}\text{p}\text{t}\text{i}\text{o}\text{n}\right)\) indicates the rank position assigned to the option in the \(\:i\) -th questionnaire. \(\:{W}_{P}\) represents the weight assigned to the \(\:p\) -th position. The weighting scheme is defined as: \(\:{W}_{1}=T\) for the first position, \(\:{W}_{2}=T-1\) for the second position, ..., down to \(\:{W}_{T}=1\) for the \(\:T\) -th position. Here \(\:T\) is the total number of options in the ranking question. To present the results more intuitively and facilitate comparisons across different items, the calculated average composite scores were uniformly converted to a 10-point scale. The higher the converted score, the greater the respondents' perceived importance of the option. 3 Results 3.1 Sample basic information A total of 27 HEIs returned valid questionnaires, accounting for 77.14% (27/35) of all universities and colleges offering the bachelor's degree programs in dental technology in China. The institutional types included 16 public institutions (59.26%) and 9 private institutions (33.33%). In terms of geographical distribution, there are 13 institutions in the eastern region (48.15%), 6 in the central region (22.22%), and 8 in the western region (29.63%), indicating good institutional and regional representativeness of the sample. Regarding the history of these institutions, 22.22% (6/27) have been established for less than 5 years, 55.55% (15/27) for 5 to 10 years, and 22.22% (6/27) for more than 10 years, reflecting a stable foundation for undergraduate education in this major. All institutions adopt a four-year academic system, primarily using the "3 + 1" model (three years of on-campus study plus one year of off-campus practice), which reflects an application-oriented focus on talent development. In terms of enrollment scale, the average annual number of students enrolled in this major across the participating HEIs over the past three years was 902. From a regional perspective, student supply is highly concentrated in the eastern region: institutions in the eastern region accounted for 67.92% of the average annual enrollment, while those in the central and western regions accounted for 18.11% and 13.97%, respectively. This indicates a strong correlation between the distribution of educational resources for this major and the level of regional economic development. Employer data were collected from 68 organizations across 10 provinces. In terms of organizational type, dental laboratories and material supply companies accounted for the majority (61 organizations, 89.71%), followed by medical institutions or clinics (7 organizations, 10.29%). Regarding organizational size, medium-sized organizations (50–300 employees) were predominant, accounting for 51 organizations (75.00%), followed by large organizations (over 300 employees) with 14 organizations (20.59%), and small organizations (fewer than 50 employees) with 3 organizations (4.41%). A total of 772 valid questionnaires were collected from graduates, encompassing all 27 institutions, including Chongqing Medical University, Shandong First Medical University, Xiamen Medical College, and Binzhou Medical University. The average graduation duration was 2.63 ± 1.23 years, and the graduates' overall rating of teaching quality at their institutions was 4.02 ± 0.94 points (out of a maximum of 5), indicating a generally positive evaluation of the training quality. 3.2 Tripartite perceptions of the the job market Regarding employment organization type, dental laboratories received highly consistent recognition across the three groups (Fig. 2 ). However, HEIs recognized materials companies at a higher rate than employers (75.00%) and graduates (70.47%). At the same time, the recognition of vocational colleges or universities by HEIs (92.59%) and graduates (80.31%) is higher than that of employers (51.47%). Regarding employment positions, the three parties reached a strong consensus on digital and clinical service departments, which ranked among the top in terms of recognition (Fig. 3 ). However, significant differences were observed for other positions ( χ 2 = 87.636, P < 0.001). Specifically, HEIs showed markedly higher recognition of research and development departments (96.15%) and administrative management positions (84.62%) compared to employers and graduates. In terms of training departments, recognition from HEIs (84.62%) and graduates (81.61%) exceeded that of employers (51.47%). Conversely, employers demonstrated higher recognition of quality control positions than both HEIs and graduates. 3.3 Tripartite perceptions of the competency requirements Qualities Significant differences were observed in the distribution of perceived importance of different qualities among the three groups ( χ 2 = 22.155, P = 0.014 < 0.05). Figure 4 illustrates the specifics of these differences. HEIs assigned nearly 100% importance to all qualities. In contrast, employers demonstrated a more distinct prioritization, placing the highest value on "integrity, dedication, and integrating knowledge with practice" (97.06%) and "teamwork spirit" (97.06%), while showing relatively lower emphasis on "develop awareness of career planning" (77.94%). Graduates' perceptions were generally closer to those of employers, although their ratings were overall the most conservative. However, a notable disparity emerged in "develop awareness of career planning," with the recognition rate among graduates (85.49%) exceeding that among employers (77.94%). Knowledge Significant differences were observed in the distribution of perceived importance of different professional knowledge domains across the three groups ( χ 2 = 68.434, P < 0.001). Figure 5 illustrates the specifics of these differences. Employers exhibited a prioritization pattern distinct from both HEIs and graduates. They placed relatively low importance on "research methodology, literature retrieval, and thesis writing" (29.41%) and "laws and regulations relevant to the profession" (45.59%). In contrast, HEIs and graduates held relatively balanced views across all knowledge domains. Skills Significant differences were also observed in the distribution of perceived importance of different professional skills in dental technology among the three groups ( χ 2 = 108.972, P < 0.001). Figure 6 illustrates the specifics of these differences. HEIs place all skills as highly important (92.59%-100%). In contrast, employers place the highest importance on core skills such as problem-solving (94.12%), effective clinical communication (86.76%), and software proficiency (83.82%). In comparison, auxiliary skills like business management (35.29%), English proficiency (35.29%), and literature retrieval (54.41%) are considered significantly less important. Meanwhile, graduates' perceptions are generally neutral and convergent, with their recognition rates for all skills falling within a lower range (37.31%-47.41%). 3.4 Tripartite perceptions of the curriculum design Among the five curriculum categories, all three groups rated courses with clear professional orientation the highest, demonstrating consistent agreement (Table 1 ). For example, in specialized dental technology courses, the three parties showed highly consistent evaluations of their six component courses, with no statistically significant differences in scores ( P > 0.05). Among these, Complete Denture Fabrication , Removable Partial Denture Fabrication , and Fixed Dental Prosthesis Fabrication were jointly identified as the top three most important courses. However, for non-core or auxiliary courses, evaluations across the three groups showed marked differences. Overall, HEIs generally assigned higher scores than employers and graduates. Specifically, within specialized dental courses, Prosthodontics was consistently regarded as the most important subject, with scores of 10.00, 9.68, and 9.61 from higher education institutions, employers, and graduates, respectively. For courses such as Cariology and Endodontics , Diseases of the Oral Mucosa , and Orthodontics , significant differences were observed among the three groups, all of which were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Among dental fundamental courses, Oral Anatomy and Physiology , Dental Materials , and Dental Occlusion were ranked as the top three in importance. Nevertheless, differences in scores were found for Oral Histology and Pathology , with statistical significance ( P < 0.05). Within the aesthetics courses, Aesthetic Dentistry and Dental Photography were considered the most important content areas, but differences in ratings for Aesthetic Dentistry and Color and Pen Drawing emerged among the three groups, with statistical significance (all P < 0.05). Further LSD test results revealed the specific sources of these differences. Additionally, within the computer courses, 3D Computer Modeling received the highest score. Table 1 Comparison of the three parties’ perceptions of curriculum design that dental technology undergraduates should possess Higher education institutions Employers Graduates F P LSD* Dental Specialized Courses Prosthodontics 10.00 ± 0.00 9.68 ± 1.52 9.61 ± 1.67 0.755 0.471 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 4.45 ± 3.34 4.52 ± 4.03 5.72 ± 3.29 2.957 0.054 Cariology and Endodontics 3.89 ± 2.93 2.05 ± 2.91 4.25 ± 3.09 6.964 0.001 A > B, C > B Diseases of the Oral Mucosa 1.85 ± 1.87 1.51 ± 2.08 2.53 ± 2.38 3.278 0.039 C > B Periodontics 2.97 ± 2.55 1.83 ± 2.63 3.06 ± 2.60 3.012 0.051 Orthodontics 7.11 ± 2.05 5.01 ± 3.71 4.86 ± 3.34 5.612 0.004 A > B, A > C Dental Fundamental Courses Oral Anatomy and Physiology 9.63 ± 1.93 8.45 ± 3.25 9.28 ± 2.03 2.419 0.091 Dental Materials 7.19 ± 1.59 6.26 ± 3.42 6.78 ± 2.52 0.971 0.380 Oral Histology and Pathology 4.59 ± 2.71 1.55 ± 2.51 4.39 ± 2.83 14.513 0 A > B, C > B Dental Occlusion 5.68 ± 2.64 5.19 ± 1.86 4.66 ± 2.32 3.096 0.047 B > C Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology 4.00 ± 1.84 3.42 ± 3.06 3.56 ± 2.41 0.473 0.623 Dental Technology Courses Complete Denture Fabrication 8.46 ± 2.11 8.71 ± 2.42 8.75 ± 2.46 0.166 0.847 Removable Partial Denture Fabrication 7.61 ± 1.26 6.84 ± 3.00 7.28 ± 2.27 0.838 0.434 Fixed Dental Prosthesis Fabrication 7.48 ± 1.69 6.57 ± 2.23 6.46 ± 2.02 3.003 0.051 Dental CAD/CAM Technology 5.74 ± 2.5 5.59 ± 2.05 5.47 ± 2.45 0.165 0.848 Implant-Supported Denture Technology 3.59 ± 1.44 4.31 ± 2.35 3.63 ± 2.05 1.539 0.217 Precision Attachment Denture Technology 1.61 ± 1.35 1.56 ± 1.36 1.73 ± 1.44 0.246 0.782 Aesthetic Courses Light and Shadow in Sketching 6.59 ± 3.50 4.58 ± 4.30 6.12 ± 4.31 2.092 0.126 Color and Pen Drawing 5.33 ± 2.94 2.58 ± 3.55 4.18 ± 3.79 4.205 0.016 A > B, C > B Dental Photography 6.89 ± 2.62 6.19 ± 3.98 6.26 ± 3.31 0.448 0.639 Aesthetic Dentistry 7.56 ± 2.38 7.48 ± 2.87 6.15 ± 3.07 4.658 0.010 A > C, B > C Not Necessary - - 0.39 ± 1.65 1.634 0.197 Computer Courses Programming Languages 6.11 ± 3.63 4.11 ± 4.11 4.82 ± 4.46 1.592 0.206 Python for Big Data 5.65 ± 2.91 4.27 ± 3.99 4.06 ± 3.80 2.140 0.120 3D Computer Modeling 8.52 ± 1.87 7.34 ± 3.96 6.86 ± 3.62 2.720 0.068 Not Necessary 0.46 ± 1.97 0.57 ± 2.21 1.24 ± 3.18 1.318 0.270 *A: Higher education institutions; B: Employers, C:Graduates. 4 Discussion Our findings indicate that, in the job market, HEIs, employers, and graduates all recognize dental laboratories as the primary career destination for dental technology professionals. This reflects a degree of alignment between the specialty's training objectives and the industry's demands. However, despite shared perceptions concerning career destinations, professional competency expectations, and evaluations of course importance, notable differences persist among the three parties. These discrepancies stem not only from the distinct standpoints and goal orientations of each group but also highlight underlying issues within the current talent cultivation system for dental technology. 4.1 The expectation gap between higher education institutions and employers On the supply side, HEIs have the core mission of educating and cultivating professional talents, helping students build a comprehensive, systematic, and forward-looking knowledge system, and enhancing their capacity for sustainable development and industry adaptability [ 26 ]. Their goal is the long-term accumulation of human capital, with returns reflected in students' career development and industry progress [ 27 ]. In contrast, employers, as the demand side of talent, focus primarily on production operations and market benefits, thereby placing greater emphasis on employees with specific skills that can be directly and efficiently applied to production processes. This divergence in objectives highlights the critical role of Industry-university cooperation (IUC) in optimizing the allocation of educational resources and promoting industrial upgrading. Specifically, regarding employment positions, employers tend to prefer recruiting for roles closely related to daily operations, such as quality control and production operations. HEIs, on the other hand, tend to guide students towards the upstream of the industrial chain, encouraging them to enter material research and development companies, scientific research institutions, or educational units, engaging in innovative research, technical training, or management planning. In terms of competency requirements, HEIs assign relatively high scores to all competencies, reflecting their educational philosophy of comprehensive development. Employers, however, focus more on fundamental attributes, professional knowledge, and technical skills, with their requirements based on role efficacy and practical utility. Regarding sustainability-related competencies, most employers prioritize knowledge and technical skills, paying relatively less attention to soft skills despite their importance for a well-rounded workforce [ 28 ][ 29 ]. In curriculum design, HEIs place greater emphasis on in-depth understanding of diseases, such as Cariology and Endodontics , Oral Histology and Pathology . With the popularization of digital clear aligner technology, HEIs' emphasis on Orthodontics has surpassed employers'. Digital technologies are profoundly impacting dental education, with systematic reviews indicating increased digitalization in dental curricula and enhanced educational quality [ 30 ]. The widespread use of electronic colorimeters has also led to divergent perceptions between HEIs and employers regarding the course Color and Pen Drawing , as employers may consider traditional hand-drawing methods to be increasingly replaced by technological tools [ 31 ]. Therefore, while adhering to the essence of education, HEIs should further strengthen the link to practical application. For example, when teaching histopathology, emphasis could be placed on explaining how poorly fitting prosthetic margins can lead to pathological changes, thereby integrating theoretical knowledge more closely with clinical practice. Currently, high-level talents are scarce in the dental technology field, particularly those with master's and doctoral degrees. Statistics indicate that 64% of dental technicians in China are graduates of junior colleges and technical secondary schools. Only 3% of technicians hold a bachelor's degree [ 32 ]. Similar to the industry development needs of other countries, China also requires a well-educated dental technology workforce [ 33 ]. HEIs' orientation towards material R&D and related positions in talent cultivation reflects the education system's high regard for the long-term disciplinary development and industrial upgrading. Therefore, promoting university-industry collaboration has become a key pathway to bridging the supply-demand gap [ 34 ]. By establishing industry advisory committees, hiring experienced practitioners as part-time lecturers, and co-developing practical training modules, the alignment of educational outcomes with labor market demands can be facilitated [ 35 ]. Employers should actively participate in curriculum design and talent cultivation to strengthen the connection between educational supply and industrial demands [ 36 ][ 37 ]. 4.2 The expectation gap between higher educational institutions and graduates Regarding perceptions of employment positions, HEIs typically view strategic roles such as research and development and administrative management as long-term career goals for dental students. However, many graduates in the early stages of their careers find it challenging to assume such roles due to a lack of practical experience and low self-efficacy. Meanwhile, with the industry transforming, technical roles such as digital applications and clinical services are becoming increasingly important. Nevertheless, graduates' willingness to engage with these emerging technical positions remains relatively conservative, also stemming from a lack of confidence in their competency. Regarding curriculum design, this study identified significant differences between HEIs and graduates in their evaluations of the importance of three courses: Orthodontics , Aesthetic Dentistry , and Cariology and Endodontics . HEIs generally regard Orthodontics as a professionally demanding and rapidly developing field with significant strategic importance, whose complexity and specialisation require graduates to possess a solid theoretical foundation and practical skills [ 38 ]. Similarly, Aesthetic Dentistry is considered a core course for enhancing students' comprehensive qualities and aesthetic abilities, which is essential for cultivating high-level dental technicians [ 39 ]. However, graduates tend to focus their efforts on traditional courses that are easier to master and more closely associated with short-term employment. This may be partly attributable to the widespread clinical use of modern orthodontic design software and colour-matching aids, leading students to mistakenly believe that such tools can replace a deep understanding of foundational knowledge, thereby underestimating the importance of these courses [ 40 ]. Although HEIs aim to cultivate well-rounded professionals, this educational philosophy has not been fully internalised in students' cognition and value identification. Therefore, HEIs should establish a tiered and progressive career guidance system to help students clearly understand the job requirements and competency demands at different career stages. This would help students develop clear, phased career pathways and enhance their self-efficacy. 4.3 The expectation gap between employers and graduates Compared to employers, graduates demonstrated a higher level of interest in training departments. This reflects their preference for creative work environments, professional autonomy, and long-term career stability. Meanwhile, graduates placed significantly greater emphasis on career planning than employers had anticipated. In terms of curriculum design, notable differences emerged between graduates and employers in their evaluations of the importance of courses. For Oral Histology and Pathology , both graduates and higher education institutions placed greater importance on the course than employers did, emphasizing a deep understanding of disease mechanisms. Graduates also showed higher regard for Diseases of the Oral Mucosa . This tendency may be attributed to their clinical exposure to mucosal diseases triggered by prosthetic issues, which has led them to recognize the importance of relevant foundational diagnostic skills. In contrast, graduates rated Aesthetic Dentistry and Dental Occlusion significantly lower than employers did. New entrants to the workforce tend to focus more on basic vocational skills and immediate job requirements, viewing aesthetics as a non-essential module. For employers, however, aesthetic quality is directly linked to core product competitiveness and market pricing, thus warranting higher priority [ 39 ]. These preference discrepancies partly reflect graduates' rational assessment of return on investment in the early stages of their careers. In contrast, employers tend to emphasize competency elements that yield immediate economic benefits. Additionally, differences in educational background and experiential perspective between some corporate managers and graduates further contribute to divergent judgments about the industry. This mismatch in expectations during the utilization phase of human capital not only affects graduates' job satisfaction and efficiency but may also dampen their motivation for continuous professional development. Therefore, it is recommended to establish an ongoing feedback mechanism involving both employers and graduates, regularly providing higher education institutions with updated information on curriculum content and professional competency needs, thereby supporting the continuous optimization of training objectives and curriculum systems [ 41 ][ 42 ][ 43 ]. Employers can also contribute by participating in curriculum design, offering systematic onboarding training and on-the-job guidance, and outlining clear career development pathways for students, thus narrowing the cognitive gap at its source. 5 Conclusion This study, through a tripartite survey of HEIs, employers, and graduates, has revealed the current status and discrepancies in undergraduate-level dental technology talent cultivation in China, providing an empirical basis for optimizing the talent development system. Currently, the entire industry remains in its early stages of development, requiring collaborative efforts from all parties to promote overall industry progress. This study has certain limitations: the employer sample encompassed various types of organizations, including enterprises, hospitals, and clinics, but did not include vocational colleges or universities. Future research could expand the scope of investigation to develop a tiered, detailed pathway for aligning dental technology talent development, thereby more comprehensively addressing the industry's demand for technical personnel at different levels. Abbreviations CAD computer-aided design CAM computer-aided manufacturing HEIs higher education institutions Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Xiamen Medical College (Xiamen, China) and was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.. Consent for publication Informed consent for publication of the anonymized data presented in this study was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Availability of data and materials All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Zhong Chen, upon reasonable request. Competing Interests The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding this project, and they approved it for publication. Funding This work was supported by the Science and Technology Program Project of Fujian Province under Grant 2024D011, the Philosophy and Social Science Research in the Education System of Fujian Province—General Project for Education and Research of Young and Middle-Aged Teachers in Fujian Province (Social Science Category) under Grant JAS24154; and the Chinese Medical Association Medical Education Branch, National Center for Health Professions Education Development 2025 Medical Education Research under Grant 2025B216. Author contributions Xiaomei Hong was responsible for the conceptualization and design of the study, performed the statistical analysis, and drafted the manuscript. Zhong Chen contributed to the study design and coordinated the research implementation. Jianlong Wei participated in data collection and curation. Qing Ji provided expert advice on the assessment protocol, facilitated data collection, and oversaw the implementation of the research. All authors consent to the publication of this paper. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Acknowledgments This manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The authors would like to thank all participants, the Dental Technology Sub-committee of the National Vocational Education Teaching Steering Committee for the Industry of China, and all the organizations and institutions that participated in this study. Informed consent statement Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. References Liu DL, Xie YF, Shu R. 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Dentistry 4.0 concept in the design and manufacturing of prosthetic dental restorations. Processes. 2020;8(5):525. 10.3390/pr8050525 . Holmes RD, Burford B, Vance G. Development and retention of the dental workforce: findings from a regional workforce survey and symposium in England. BMC Health Serv Res . 2020;20(1):255. Published 2020 Mar 26. 10.1186/s12913-020-4980-6 Mrugalska B, Dovramadjiev T, Pavlova D, et al. Open source systems and 3D computer design applicable in the dental medical engineering industry 4.0-sustainable concept. Procedia Manuf. 2021;54:296–301. 10.1016/j.promfg.2021.09.002 . Yeslam HE, von Freifrau N, Nassar HM. Revolutionizing CAD/CAM-based restorative dental processes and materials with artificial intelligence: a concise narrative review. PeerJ . 2024;12:e17793. Published 2024 Jul 19. 10.7717/peerj.17793 Liu CM, Lin WC, Lee SY. Evaluation of the efficiency, trueness, and clinical application of novel artificial intelligence design for dental crown prostheses. Dent Mater. 2024;40(1):19–27. 10.1016/j.dental.2023.10.013 . Schierz O, Hirsch C, Krey KF, Ganss C, Kämmerer PW, Schlenz MA, DIGITAL DENTISTRY AND ITS IMPACT ON ORAL HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. J Evid Based Dent Pract. 2024;24(1S):101946. 10.1016/j.jebdp.2023.101946 . Lin GSS, Ng YS, Ghani NRNA, Chua KH. Revolutionising dental technologies: a qualitative study on dental technicians' perceptions of Artificial intelligence integration. BMC Oral Health. 2023;23(1):690. 10.1186/s12903-023-03389-x . Published 2023 Sep 25. Abulibdeh A, Zaidan E, Abulibdeh R. Navigating the confluence of artificial intelligence and education for sustainable development in the era of industry 4.0: Challenges, opportunities, and ethical dimensions. J Clean Prod. 2024;437(1):140527. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140527 . Putzeys E, Vercruyssen C, Duca RC, et al. Monomer release from direct and indirect adhesive restorations: A comparative in vitro study. Dent Mater. 2020;36(10):1275–81. 10.1016/j.dental.2020.06.001 . Blackwell E, Nesbit M, Petridis H. Survey on the use of CAD-CAM technology by UK and Irish dental technicians. Br Dent J. 2017;222(9):689–93. 10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.407 . Society of Dental Education, Chinese Stomatological Association. The standardization of China dental technology of advanced vocational and technical education (draft). Chin J Stomatol. 2017;52(7):400–3. https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.issn.1002-0098.2017.07.002 . Koizumi H, Imai H, Kawai Y. Education, licensure, and specialty of dental technician. J Prosthodont Res. 2020;64(2):235–6. 10.1016/j.jpor.2019.05.008 . Chaoyi M, Liwei Z, Li Y, Min Z, Haiyang Y. Current status, crisis and trends in Chinese dental technicians. Int Dent J. 2012;62(2):79–83. 10.1111/j.1875-595X.2011.00093.x . Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. The Catalogue of Undergraduate Programs in Regular Higher Education Institutions. (2012). http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A08/moe_1034/s3882/201209/t20120918_143152.html . (in Chinese) [Accessed 30 December 2025]. Wang X, Wan Z, Feng X, Zhu Z. Perceptions of a Digital Dental Technology Curriculum: A Qualitative Study of Dental Technology Students. Eur J Dent Educ. 2025;29(2):228–35. 10.1111/eje.13049 . Hsu MS, Yeh CL, Cheng SJ, Lin CP. Integrating digital technologies in dental technician education: A comparative study of national examination in Asian countries. J Dent Sci. 2025;20(1):28–35. 10.1016/j.jds.2024.10.017 . Lee Y, Perceptions, and Needs Assessment of Digital Dentistry Interdisciplinary Education Among Dental Laboratory Technology Students. Oral . 2025; 5(4):79. doi:0.3390/oral5040079. Chatham C, Spencer MH, Wood DJ, Johnson A. The introduction of digital dental technology into BDS curricula. Br Dent J. 2014;217(11):639–42. 10.1038/sj.bdj.2014.1049 . Lin GSS, Lee YQ, Ng YM, Cheah YY. Comparison of Malaysia's Bachelor of Dental Technology curriculum with three other countries: Proposing a basic curriculum framework. Eur J Dent Educ. 2023;27(3):614–21. 10.1111/eje.12848 . Oshima K. Current status of supply of and demand for dental technicians in Japan: Evaluation and countermeasures against the decrease in the number of dental technicians. Jpn Dent Sci Rev. 2021;57:123–7. 10.1016/j.jdsr.2021.08.002 . Razak IA, Latifah RR, Jaafar N, Abu Hassan MI, Ab Murat N. Assessing the competency of University of Malaya dental graduates: employers' and graduates' perceptions. J Dent Educ. 2008;72(3):364–9. Finnveden G, Schneider A. Sustainable Development in Higher Education—What Sustainability Skills Do Industry Need? Sustainability. 2023;15(5):4044. 10.3390/su15054044 . Finnveden G, Newman J, Verhoef LA. Sustainable Development and Higher Education: Acting with a Purpose. Sustainability. 2019;11(14):3831. 10.3390/su11143831 . Heldal R, Nguyen N-T, Moreira A. Sustainability competencies and skills in software engineering: An industry perspective. J Syst Softw. 2024;211(1):111978. 10.1016/j.jss.2024.111978 . Kodali MVRM, Kodali US, Gadicherla S, Smriti K, Singh A, Khurshid Z. The Role of Soft Skills in Dental Education: Challenges and Importance. Eur J Dent. 2025;19(3):851–9. 10.1055/s-0044-1791938 . Zitzmann NU, Matthisson L, Ohla H, Joda T. Digital Undergraduate Education in Dentistry: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2020;17(9):3269. Published 2020 May 7. 10.3390/ijerph17093269 Magne P, Bruzi G, Carvalho AO, Giannini M, Maia HP. Evaluation of an anatomic dual-laminate composite resin shade guide. J Dent. 2013;41:e80–6. 10.1016/j.jdent.2013.05.001 . Chaoyi M, Liwei Z, Li Y, Min Z, Haiyang Y. Current status, crisis and trends in Chinese dental technicians. Int Dent J. 2012;62(2):79–83. 10.1111/j.1875-595X.2011.00093.x . Bobich AM, Mitchell BL. Transforming Dental Technology Education: Skills, Knowledge, and Curricular Reform. J Dent Educ. 2017;81(9):eS59–64. 10.21815/JDE.017.035 . Zhuang T, Zhou H, Sun Q. Ushering in industrial forces for teaching-focused university-industry collaboration in China: a resource-dependence perspective. Stud High Educ. 2024;49(12):2357–75. 10.1080/03075079.2024.2306343 . Seppo M, Lilles AI, Measuring University-Industry Cooperation. 2012. Available online: https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/TPEP/article/view/782 [Accessed 30 December 2025]. Alexander D, Clarkson J, Buchanan R, et al. Exploring opportunities for collaboration between the corporate sector and the dental education community. Eur J Dent Educ. 2008;12(Suppl 1):64–73. 10.1111/j.1600-0579.2007.00481.x . Gritzer L, Zavras A, Macek M, Alqaderi H. Bridging gaps: Transforming dental public health training for modern job market demands. J Dent Educ. 2024;88(6):765–76. 10.1002/jdd.13489 . Francisco I, Ribeiro MP, Marques F, et al. Application of Three-Dimensional Digital Technology in Orthodontics: The State of the Art. Biomimetics (Basel). 2022;7(1):23. 10.3390/biomimetics7010023 . Published 2022 Feb 2. Bennani V, Ibrahim H, Al-Harthi L, Lyons KM. The periodontal restorative interface: esthetic considerations. Periodontol 2000. 2017;74(1):74–101. 10.1111/prd.12191 . Alwafi AA, Hannam AG, Yen EH, Zou B. A new method assessing predicted and achieved mandibular tooth movement in adults treated with clear aligners using CBCT and individual crown superimposition. Sci Rep . 2023;13(1):4084. Published 2023 Mar 11. 10.1038/s41598-023-31339-8 Lanning SK, Wetzel AP, Baines MB, Ellen Byrne B. Evaluation of a revised curriculum: a four-year qualitative study of student perceptions. J Dent Educ. 2012;76(10):1323–33. Martínez SE, Gili MA, Encina Tutuy AJ, Vila VG. Evaluación y seguimiento de los graduados de la facultad de Odontología de la UNNE. Revista de La Facultad de Odontología. 2014;7(1):16. 10.30972/rfo.711622 . Lin GSS, Lee YQ, Ng YM, Cheah YY. Comparison of Malaysia's Bachelor of Dental Technology curriculum with three other countries: Proposing a basic curriculum framework. Eur J Dent Educ. 2023;27(3):614–21. 10.1111/eje.12848 . Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterial1Questionnaire.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 16 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 20 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 19 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 19 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Chen","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA00lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJCCwz8qJHjs2xsbH3wgUgfjY4YzNnIGPIebDWcQqYXZmLEtzdhAIr1NmoMY9fLtvc+kC9gOJ26XfNggzcBgJ6fbQMhVPcfNpGfwHE7cOTuxwbiAIdnY7AAhV0mksUnwSBxObLid2JA8g+FA4jZCWtjknwG1GAC13DzYcJiHGC08EmzMxjwJQO/fYGxsJkqLBE8a48MZB2zkJHsSmxlnGBDhF/n2YwwHPv6T4OFnP/78x4cKOzmCWtCAAWnKR8EoGAWjYBTgAADeyUMbSPOSXgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Xiamen Medical College","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhong","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""},{"id":608075481,"identity":"27310d3a-98f6-4606-be2f-c89c4ae50ad3","order_by":2,"name":"Jianlong Wei","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Xiamen Medical College","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jianlong","middleName":"","lastName":"Wei","suffix":""},{"id":608075482,"identity":"a77e3183-4f2b-44fe-86ae-5066a0a5b370","order_by":3,"name":"Qing 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technology\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8881048/v1/5a0c7bdb318c2cdd540cd61d.png"},{"id":105035392,"identity":"7dcfd36c-52b3-46bd-9e39-8bb244784c77","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-20 07:26:00","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":28684,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of the three parties’ perceptions of main employment organization types in dental technology\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8881048/v1/bc0ecdf059360a95e46330e9.png"},{"id":104979571,"identity":"7ff0f754-de0a-4bfb-81cd-215ecf7423c9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:00:32","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":36666,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of the three parties’ perceptions of main employment department/positions types in dental\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8881048/v1/da44a2dc8f5919cf05d768f7.png"},{"id":104979575,"identity":"b2477d6c-56b4-4a31-83b2-018fdf64019c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:00:32","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":43203,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of the three parties’ perceptions of qualities that dental technology undergraduates should possess\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8881048/v1/198c1ecbc5ec958fe2236955.png"},{"id":104979572,"identity":"03fed3de-9345-474a-a67f-4eed16ebdfcc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:00:32","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":42895,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of the three parties’ perceptions of knowledge that dental technology undergraduates should\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8881048/v1/412e5fa803192ea2e8ee1549.png"},{"id":104979573,"identity":"b822d68e-9156-4733-8765-6c24992d6d7b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:00:32","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":47387,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of the three parties’ perceptions of skills that dental technology undergraduates should possess\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8881048/v1/f27820f0f4413570b89e3cb6.png"},{"id":105037633,"identity":"4b115243-b5c0-46e4-9476-5fe4ee2b8cf6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-20 07:39:59","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1272348,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8881048/v1/a52095ea-9ab3-46c8-9c67-093d992b1003.pdf"},{"id":104979576,"identity":"edfaaf1d-5144-4117-b773-60682de37188","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 13:00:32","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":18084,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Supplementarymaterial1Questionnaire.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8881048/v1/67601d15416e00721c8792dc.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Bridging the Gap in Dental Technology Education: A Tripartite Survey of Higher Education Institutions, Employers, and Graduates","fulltext":[{"header":"1 Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003e Oral health is an integral component of overall health and significantly influences individuals' quality of life and well-being. With rapid economic development and continuous improvement in living standards in China, there is a growing public demand for high-quality dental services [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. This trend extends beyond basic oral disease treatment to include high-value consumer healthcare services such as orthodontics, dental implants, and aesthetic restorations, thereby raising new demands on both the quantity and quality of professional dental technicians. Dental technology is an applied interdisciplinary field that integrates medicine, engineering, and aesthetics, and plays a critical role in cultivating professionals capable of designing and fabricating dental prostheses. Its educational framework encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including oral anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, materials science, aesthetics, and digital manufacturing technologies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. As essential members of the dental healthcare team, dental technicians provide technical support in clinical practice [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. They fabricate customized, precise prostheses based on dentists' prescriptions and patient oral models or digital data. Their competence directly influences the quality of dental services and the patient experience [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe dental industry is currently undergoing a profound technological transformation. The widespread application of digital dental technology is driving the industry towards greater precision, efficiency, and personalization, with advancements such as computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and materials science [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. CAD/CAM technology has been widely used in the fabrication of dental prostheses, including removable partial dentures, improving accuracy and efficiency [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. In the UK and Ireland, the majority of dental technicians report using CAD/CAM technology in their workflows [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. However, this rapid development also highlights a mismatch between the existing talent-training system and industry demands.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn China, dental technology professionals are primarily trained through higher vocational education (three-year programs) and undergraduate education (four-year programs) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. In 2005, Sichuan University launched China's first undergraduate program in \"Prosthetic Technology\" [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Since the discipline was renamed from \"Prosthetic Technology\" to \"Dental Technology\" and formally incorporated into the bachelor's degree program by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China in 2012, the field has gradually developed and matured [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, the scale of undergraduate education in dental technology remains limited. As of 2024, only 35 universities nationwide offer bachelor's degree programs in dental technology, with an annual graduate output of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 students. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of rapid digitalization and advances in artificial intelligence, undergraduates who possess both specialized knowledge and interdisciplinary learning abilities are demonstrating greater competitiveness in the job market [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Traditional dental technology education has primarily focused on discipline-specific theoretical knowledge and technical skills. This educational model is increasingly struggling to meet the industry's demand for the integration of interdisciplinary competencies in areas such as digital technology and aesthetic design [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eExisting research on dental technology education has primarily focused on curriculum design, teaching methodology reform, and professional skill development, with particular attention to the application of digital technologies and the cultivation of interdisciplinary competencies. Relevant studies cover various dimensions, including program development, practical teaching innovation, and employment status analysis. However, most existing research tends to adopt a single perspective, lacking a systematic comparative analysis that integrates the viewpoints of higher education institutions (HEIs), employers, and graduates [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, this study constructs a three-dimensional analysis framework that encompasses HEIs, employers, and graduates (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). This framework emphasizes the bidirectional interactive relationship among the three parties: (1) between HEIs and employers\u0026mdash;contrasting the alignment between talent cultivation positioning and the employment needs of the industry; (2) between HEIs and graduates\u0026mdash;tracking graduates\u0026rsquo; career development pathways and their feedback on curriculum design and training quality; and (3) between employers and graduates\u0026mdash;assessing the alignment between competence requirements and current conditions. Questionnaire surveys will be used to collect the perspectives of the three parties on the job market, competency requirements, and curriculum design. The core objective of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of data from the three stakeholder groups to identify differences in talent cultivation, market demand, and graduate development in dental technology, thereby providing empirical evidence and directions for improvement to optimize talent cultivation pathways.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2 Materials and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Participants\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study adopted a cross-sectional survey design, conducted from June to November 2024 under the guidance of the Dental Technology Sub-committee of the National Vocational Education Teaching Steering Committee for the Industry. Data were collected via online questionnaires administered concurrently to three groups: HEIs, employers, and graduates.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study employed a mixed sampling method to ensure sample representativeness and comprehensiveness. At the higher education institution level, a total sample survey was conducted, covering all 35 universities and colleges in China offering undergraduate programs in Dental Technology. The inclusion criteria were: (1) full-time undergraduate institutions that are registered with the Ministry of Education and are actively conducting teaching activities. Exclusion criteria are: (1) institutions that have suspended enrollment for the year or have questionable professional accreditation status.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt the employer level, purposive sampling was adopted, with the sampling frame determined based on the employment distribution characteristics of the dental technology industry. The inclusion criteria were: (1) legally qualified dental laboratories (also referred to as denture prosthesis manufacturers); (2) well-known dental material and equipment supply companies; (3) dental departments in secondary or higher-level hospitals; (4) chain dental clinics that provide fixed prosthodontic services. The exclusion criteria were: (1) institutions operating for less than one year; (2) medical institutions without a professional technician workshop.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt the graduate level, stratified random sampling was employed, with the graduating institution as the stratification basis. The inclusion criteria were: (1) undergraduate graduates from dental medicine technology programs within the previous four years; (2) those currently working in the dental or technician-related fields. The exclusion criteria were: (1) graduates currently engaged in work unrelated to the dental medicine technology field; (2) samples where more than 10% of key information in the questionnaire was missing; (3) individuals who did not sign the informed consent form or refused to participate in this study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Questionnaires\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe questionnaire used in this study was developed by the research team specifically for this investigation. An English version of the questionnaire is provided as supplementary material (Supplementary material 1). It was developed based on a comprehensive literature review and expert consultations. It consists of two main parts: the first collects general information about HEIs, employers, and graduates, while the second captures the perspectives of the three stakeholder groups on dental technology professionals, divided into three parties regarding perceptions of the job market, competency requirements, and curriculum design. Employment market perceptions are assessed through respondents' evaluative judgments of their preferences for types of employment units and positions. Competency requirements encompass three dimensions: professional qualities, knowledge, and skills. Curriculum design includes five categories: dental specialty courses, dental fundamental courses, dental technology courses, aesthetic courses, and computer courses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe questionnaire primarily uses multiple-choice and ranking questions. Multiple-choice questions are used to gather respondents' opinions on employment directions, competency requirements, and the importance of courses; ranking questions are used to identify differences in the prioritization of different courses. Additionally, a question on satisfaction with institutional training quality was included specifically for the graduate group, using a Likert 5-point scale, where scores from 1 to 5 represent \"very dissatisfied\" to \"very satisfied,\" respectively. This study strictly adhered to all relevant ethical requirements. The research protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xiamen Medical College, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to the completion of the questionnaire survey.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3 Statistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll data were entered into an Excel file for management and analysis using SPSS 26.0. The count data are presented as frequency (n) and percentage (%), with intergroup comparisons using the Chi-square test. The measurement data are expressed as mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviation, and comparisons among multiple groups are conducted using one-way ANOVA. Further pairwise comparisons are performed using the LSD test. All statistical tests are considered statistically significant if \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05. The course curriculum was measured through ranking questions. To quantify the overall ranking of each option in the ranking question, we calculated the \"average composite score,\" and its calculation formula is as follows:\u003cdiv id=\"Equa\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\u003cdiv format=\"TEX\" class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equa\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\n$$\\:\\text{S}\\text{c}\\text{o}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\left(option\\right)=\\frac{\\sum\\:_{i=1}^{n}{W}_{pos\\left(i,\\:option\\right)}}{N}$$\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhere:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{S}\\text{c}\\text{o}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\left(option\\right)\\)\u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e represents the Mean Comprehensive Score for a specific option.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:n\\)\u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e denotes the total number of valid responses (equivalent to the total number of respondents \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{N}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e for this question).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{p}\\text{o}\\text{s}\\left(\\text{i},\\:\\text{o}\\text{p}\\text{t}\\text{i}\\text{o}\\text{n}\\right)\\)\u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e indicates the rank position assigned to the option in the \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:i\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e-th questionnaire.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{W}_{P}\\)\u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e represents the weight assigned to the \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:p\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e-th position. The weighting scheme is defined as: \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{W}_{1}=T\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e for the first position, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{W}_{2}=T-1\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e for the second position, ..., down to \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{W}_{T}=1\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e for the \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:T\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e-th position. Here \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:T\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eis the total number of options in the ranking question.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo present the results more intuitively and facilitate comparisons across different items, the calculated average composite scores were uniformly converted to a 10-point scale. The higher the converted score, the greater the respondents' perceived importance of the option.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3 Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Sample basic information\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 27 HEIs returned valid questionnaires, accounting for 77.14% (27/35) of all universities and colleges offering the bachelor's degree programs in dental technology in China. The institutional types included 16 public institutions (59.26%) and 9 private institutions (33.33%). In terms of geographical distribution, there are 13 institutions in the eastern region (48.15%), 6 in the central region (22.22%), and 8 in the western region (29.63%), indicating good institutional and regional representativeness of the sample. Regarding the history of these institutions, 22.22% (6/27) have been established for less than 5 years, 55.55% (15/27) for 5 to 10 years, and 22.22% (6/27) for more than 10 years, reflecting a stable foundation for undergraduate education in this major.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll institutions adopt a four-year academic system, primarily using the \"3\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;1\" model (three years of on-campus study plus one year of off-campus practice), which reflects an application-oriented focus on talent development. In terms of enrollment scale, the average annual number of students enrolled in this major across the participating HEIs over the past three years was 902. From a regional perspective, student supply is highly concentrated in the eastern region: institutions in the eastern region accounted for 67.92% of the average annual enrollment, while those in the central and western regions accounted for 18.11% and 13.97%, respectively. This indicates a strong correlation between the distribution of educational resources for this major and the level of regional economic development.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmployer data were collected from 68 organizations across 10 provinces. In terms of organizational type, dental laboratories and material supply companies accounted for the majority (61 organizations, 89.71%), followed by medical institutions or clinics (7 organizations, 10.29%). Regarding organizational size, medium-sized organizations (50\u0026ndash;300 employees) were predominant, accounting for 51 organizations (75.00%), followed by large organizations (over 300 employees) with 14 organizations (20.59%), and small organizations (fewer than 50 employees) with 3 organizations (4.41%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 772 valid questionnaires were collected from graduates, encompassing all 27 institutions, including Chongqing Medical University, Shandong First Medical University, Xiamen Medical College, and Binzhou Medical University. The average graduation duration was 2.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.23 years, and the graduates' overall rating of teaching quality at their institutions was 4.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.94 points (out of a maximum of 5), indicating a generally positive evaluation of the training quality.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Tripartite perceptions of the the job market\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding employment organization type, dental laboratories received highly consistent recognition across the three groups (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). However, HEIs recognized materials companies at a higher rate than employers (75.00%) and graduates (70.47%). At the same time, the recognition of vocational colleges or universities by HEIs (92.59%) and graduates (80.31%) is higher than that of employers (51.47%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding employment positions, the three parties reached a strong consensus on digital and clinical service departments, which ranked among the top in terms of recognition (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). However, significant differences were observed for other positions (\u003cem\u003eχ\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e2\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;87.636, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). Specifically, HEIs showed markedly higher recognition of research and development departments (96.15%) and administrative management positions (84.62%) compared to employers and graduates. In terms of training departments, recognition from HEIs (84.62%) and graduates (81.61%) exceeded that of employers (51.47%). Conversely, employers demonstrated higher recognition of quality control positions than both HEIs and graduates.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Tripartite perceptions of the competency requirements\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eQualities\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSignificant differences were observed in the distribution of perceived importance of different qualities among the three groups (\u003cem\u003eχ\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e2\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;22.155, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.014\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the specifics of these differences. HEIs assigned nearly 100% importance to all qualities. In contrast, employers demonstrated a more distinct prioritization, placing the highest value on \"integrity, dedication, and integrating knowledge with practice\" (97.06%) and \"teamwork spirit\" (97.06%), while showing relatively lower emphasis on \"develop awareness of career planning\" (77.94%). Graduates' perceptions were generally closer to those of employers, although their ratings were overall the most conservative. However, a notable disparity emerged in \"develop awareness of career planning,\" with the recognition rate among graduates (85.49%) exceeding that among employers (77.94%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eKnowledge\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSignificant differences were observed in the distribution of perceived importance of different professional knowledge domains across the three groups (\u003cem\u003eχ\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e2\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;68.434, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the specifics of these differences. Employers exhibited a prioritization pattern distinct from both HEIs and graduates. They placed relatively low importance on \"research methodology, literature retrieval, and thesis writing\" (29.41%) and \"laws and regulations relevant to the profession\" (45.59%). In contrast, HEIs and graduates held relatively balanced views across all knowledge domains.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eSkills\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSignificant differences were also observed in the distribution of perceived importance of different professional skills in dental technology among the three groups (\u003cem\u003eχ\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e2\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;108.972, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the specifics of these differences. HEIs place all skills as highly important (92.59%-100%). In contrast, employers place the highest importance on core skills such as problem-solving (94.12%), effective clinical communication (86.76%), and software proficiency (83.82%). In comparison, auxiliary skills like business management (35.29%), English proficiency (35.29%), and literature retrieval (54.41%) are considered significantly less important. Meanwhile, graduates' perceptions are generally neutral and convergent, with their recognition rates for all skills falling within a lower range (37.31%-47.41%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4 Tripartite perceptions of the curriculum design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmong the five curriculum categories, all three groups rated courses with clear professional orientation the highest, demonstrating consistent agreement (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). For example, in specialized dental technology courses, the three parties showed highly consistent evaluations of their six component courses, with no statistically significant differences in scores (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Among these, \u003cem\u003eComplete Denture Fabrication\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eRemovable Partial Denture Fabrication\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eFixed Dental Prosthesis Fabrication\u003c/em\u003e were jointly identified as the top three most important courses. However, for non-core or auxiliary courses, evaluations across the three groups showed marked differences.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall, HEIs generally assigned higher scores than employers and graduates. Specifically, within specialized dental courses, \u003cem\u003eProsthodontics\u003c/em\u003e was consistently regarded as the most important subject, with scores of 10.00, 9.68, and 9.61 from higher education institutions, employers, and graduates, respectively. For courses such as \u003cem\u003eCariology and Endodontics\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDiseases of the Oral Mucosa\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eOrthodontics\u003c/em\u003e, significant differences were observed among the three groups, all of which were statistically significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Among dental fundamental courses, \u003cem\u003eOral Anatomy and Physiology\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDental Materials\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eDental Occlusion\u003c/em\u003e were ranked as the top three in importance. Nevertheless, differences in scores were found for \u003cem\u003eOral Histology and Pathology\u003c/em\u003e, with statistical significance (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Within the aesthetics courses, \u003cem\u003eAesthetic Dentistry\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDental Photography\u003c/em\u003e were considered the most important content areas, but differences in ratings for \u003cem\u003eAesthetic Dentistry\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eColor and Pen Drawing\u003c/em\u003e emerged among the three groups, with statistical significance (all \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Further LSD test results revealed the specific sources of these differences. Additionally, within the computer courses, \u003cem\u003e3D Computer Modeling\u003c/em\u003e received the highest score.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eComparison of the three parties\u0026rsquo; perceptions of curriculum design that dental technology undergraduates should possess\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigher education institutions\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmployers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGraduates\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eF\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDental Specialized Courses\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProsthodontics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.68\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.755\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.471\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOral and Maxillofacial Surgery\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.957\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.054\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCariology and Endodontics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.964\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;B, C\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;B\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiseases of the Oral Mucosa\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.85\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.51\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.278\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.039\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;B\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeriodontics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrthodontics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.612\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.004\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;B, A\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;C\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDental Fundamental Courses\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOral Anatomy and Physiology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.419\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.091\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDental Materials\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.26\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.971\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.380\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOral Histology and Pathology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.55\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.51\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.513\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;B, C\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;B\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDental Occlusion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.68\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.66\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.096\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eB\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;C\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOral and Maxillofacial Radiology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.42\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.473\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.623\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDental Technology Courses\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eComplete Denture Fabrication\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.166\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.847\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRemovable Partial Denture Fabrication\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.84\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.838\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.434\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFixed Dental Prosthesis Fabrication\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.003\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDental CAD/CAM Technology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.74\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.848\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImplant-Supported Denture Technology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.539\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.217\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrecision Attachment Denture Technology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.73\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.246\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.782\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAesthetic Courses\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLight and Shadow in Sketching\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.092\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.126\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eColor and Pen Drawing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.18\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.79\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.205\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.016\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;B, C\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;B\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDental Photography\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.62\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.26\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.448\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.639\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAesthetic Dentistry\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.658\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.010\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;C, B\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;C\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot Necessary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.634\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.197\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eComputer Courses\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProgramming Languages\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.82\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.592\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.206\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePython for Big Data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.27\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.140\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3D Computer Modeling\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.62\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.720\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.068\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot Necessary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.318\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.270\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"8\"\u003e*A: Higher education institutions; B: Employers, C:Graduates.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4 Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eOur findings indicate that, in the job market, HEIs, employers, and graduates all recognize dental laboratories as the primary career destination for dental technology professionals. This reflects a degree of alignment between the specialty's training objectives and the industry's demands. However, despite shared perceptions concerning career destinations, professional competency expectations, and evaluations of course importance, notable differences persist among the three parties. These discrepancies stem not only from the distinct standpoints and goal orientations of each group but also highlight underlying issues within the current talent cultivation system for dental technology.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.1 The expectation gap between higher education institutions and employers\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn the supply side, HEIs have the core mission of educating and cultivating professional talents, helping students build a comprehensive, systematic, and forward-looking knowledge system, and enhancing their capacity for sustainable development and industry adaptability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. Their goal is the long-term accumulation of human capital, with returns reflected in students' career development and industry progress [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. In contrast, employers, as the demand side of talent, focus primarily on production operations and market benefits, thereby placing greater emphasis on employees with specific skills that can be directly and efficiently applied to production processes. This divergence in objectives highlights the critical role of Industry-university cooperation (IUC) in optimizing the allocation of educational resources and promoting industrial upgrading.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecifically, regarding employment positions, employers tend to prefer recruiting for roles closely related to daily operations, such as quality control and production operations. HEIs, on the other hand, tend to guide students towards the upstream of the industrial chain, encouraging them to enter material research and development companies, scientific research institutions, or educational units, engaging in innovative research, technical training, or management planning. In terms of competency requirements, HEIs assign relatively high scores to all competencies, reflecting their educational philosophy of comprehensive development. Employers, however, focus more on fundamental attributes, professional knowledge, and technical skills, with their requirements based on role efficacy and practical utility. Regarding sustainability-related competencies, most employers prioritize knowledge and technical skills, paying relatively less attention to soft skills despite their importance for a well-rounded workforce [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. In curriculum design, HEIs place greater emphasis on in-depth understanding of diseases, such as \u003cem\u003eCariology and Endodontics\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOral Histology and Pathology\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith the popularization of digital clear aligner technology, HEIs' emphasis on \u003cem\u003eOrthodontics\u003c/em\u003e has surpassed employers'. Digital technologies are profoundly impacting dental education, with systematic reviews indicating increased digitalization in dental curricula and enhanced educational quality [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. The widespread use of electronic colorimeters has also led to divergent perceptions between HEIs and employers regarding the course \u003cem\u003eColor and Pen Drawing\u003c/em\u003e, as employers may consider traditional hand-drawing methods to be increasingly replaced by technological tools [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, while adhering to the essence of education, HEIs should further strengthen the link to practical application. For example, when teaching histopathology, emphasis could be placed on explaining how poorly fitting prosthetic margins can lead to pathological changes, thereby integrating theoretical knowledge more closely with clinical practice.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCurrently, high-level talents are scarce in the dental technology field, particularly those with master's and doctoral degrees. Statistics indicate that 64% of dental technicians in China are graduates of junior colleges and technical secondary schools. Only 3% of technicians hold a bachelor's degree [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Similar to the industry development needs of other countries, China also requires a well-educated dental technology workforce [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. HEIs' orientation towards material R\u0026amp;D and related positions in talent cultivation reflects the education system's high regard for the long-term disciplinary development and industrial upgrading. Therefore, promoting university-industry collaboration has become a key pathway to bridging the supply-demand gap [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. By establishing industry advisory committees, hiring experienced practitioners as part-time lecturers, and co-developing practical training modules, the alignment of educational outcomes with labor market demands can be facilitated [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Employers should actively participate in curriculum design and talent cultivation to strengthen the connection between educational supply and industrial demands [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.2 The expectation gap between higher educational institutions and graduates\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding perceptions of employment positions, HEIs typically view strategic roles such as research and development and administrative management as long-term career goals for dental students. However, many graduates in the early stages of their careers find it challenging to assume such roles due to a lack of practical experience and low self-efficacy. Meanwhile, with the industry transforming, technical roles such as digital applications and clinical services are becoming increasingly important. Nevertheless, graduates' willingness to engage with these emerging technical positions remains relatively conservative, also stemming from a lack of confidence in their competency.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding curriculum design, this study identified significant differences between HEIs and graduates in their evaluations of the importance of three courses: \u003cem\u003eOrthodontics\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAesthetic Dentistry\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eCariology and Endodontics\u003c/em\u003e. HEIs generally regard \u003cem\u003eOrthodontics\u003c/em\u003e as a professionally demanding and rapidly developing field with significant strategic importance, whose complexity and specialisation require graduates to possess a solid theoretical foundation and practical skills [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, \u003cem\u003eAesthetic Dentistry\u003c/em\u003e is considered a core course for enhancing students' comprehensive qualities and aesthetic abilities, which is essential for cultivating high-level dental technicians [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]. However, graduates tend to focus their efforts on traditional courses that are easier to master and more closely associated with short-term employment. This may be partly attributable to the widespread clinical use of modern orthodontic design software and colour-matching aids, leading students to mistakenly believe that such tools can replace a deep understanding of foundational knowledge, thereby underestimating the importance of these courses [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough HEIs aim to cultivate well-rounded professionals, this educational philosophy has not been fully internalised in students' cognition and value identification. Therefore, HEIs should establish a tiered and progressive career guidance system to help students clearly understand the job requirements and competency demands at different career stages. This would help students develop clear, phased career pathways and enhance their self-efficacy.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.3 The expectation gap between employers and graduates\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompared to employers, graduates demonstrated a higher level of interest in training departments. This reflects their preference for creative work environments, professional autonomy, and long-term career stability. Meanwhile, graduates placed significantly greater emphasis on career planning than employers had anticipated. In terms of curriculum design, notable differences emerged between graduates and employers in their evaluations of the importance of courses. For \u003cem\u003eOral Histology and Pathology\u003c/em\u003e, both graduates and higher education institutions placed greater importance on the course than employers did, emphasizing a deep understanding of disease mechanisms. Graduates also showed higher regard for \u003cem\u003eDiseases of the Oral Mucosa\u003c/em\u003e. This tendency may be attributed to their clinical exposure to mucosal diseases triggered by prosthetic issues, which has led them to recognize the importance of relevant foundational diagnostic skills. In contrast, graduates rated \u003cem\u003eAesthetic Dentistry\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDental Occlusion\u003c/em\u003e significantly lower than employers did. New entrants to the workforce tend to focus more on basic vocational skills and immediate job requirements, viewing aesthetics as a non-essential module. For employers, however, aesthetic quality is directly linked to core product competitiveness and market pricing, thus warranting higher priority [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]. These preference discrepancies partly reflect graduates' rational assessment of return on investment in the early stages of their careers. In contrast, employers tend to emphasize competency elements that yield immediate economic benefits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdditionally, differences in educational background and experiential perspective between some corporate managers and graduates further contribute to divergent judgments about the industry. This mismatch in expectations during the utilization phase of human capital not only affects graduates' job satisfaction and efficiency but may also dampen their motivation for continuous professional development. Therefore, it is recommended to establish an ongoing feedback mechanism involving both employers and graduates, regularly providing higher education institutions with updated information on curriculum content and professional competency needs, thereby supporting the continuous optimization of training objectives and curriculum systems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e]. Employers can also contribute by participating in curriculum design, offering systematic onboarding training and on-the-job guidance, and outlining clear career development pathways for students, thus narrowing the cognitive gap at its source.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"5 Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study, through a tripartite survey of HEIs, employers, and graduates, has revealed the current status and discrepancies in undergraduate-level dental technology talent cultivation in China, providing an empirical basis for optimizing the talent development system. Currently, the entire industry remains in its early stages of development, requiring collaborative efforts from all parties to promote overall industry progress. This study has certain limitations: the employer sample encompassed various types of organizations, including enterprises, hospitals, and clinics, but did not include vocational colleges or universities. Future research could expand the scope of investigation to develop a tiered, detailed pathway for aligning dental technology talent development, thereby more comprehensively addressing the industry's demand for technical personnel at different levels.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionList\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eCAD\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ecomputer-aided design\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eCAM\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ecomputer-aided manufacturing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eHEIs\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ehigher education institutions\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Xiamen Medical College (Xiamen, China) and was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki..\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInformed consent for publication of the anonymized data presented in this study was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Zhong Chen, upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCompeting Interests\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding this project, and they approved it for publication.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis work was supported by the Science and Technology Program Project of Fujian Province under Grant 2024D011, the Philosophy and Social Science Research in the Education System of Fujian Province\u0026mdash;General Project for Education and Research of Young and Middle-Aged Teachers in Fujian Province (Social Science Category) under Grant JAS24154; and the Chinese Medical Association Medical Education Branch, National Center for Health Professions\u0026nbsp;Education Development 2025 Medical Education Research under Grant 2025B216.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eXiaomei Hong was responsible for the conceptualization and design of the study, performed the statistical analysis, and drafted the manuscript. Zhong Chen contributed to the study design and coordinated the research implementation. Jianlong Wei participated in data collection and curation. Qing Ji provided expert advice on the assessment protocol,\u0026nbsp;facilitated data collection,\u0026nbsp;and oversaw the implementation of the research.\u0026nbsp;All authors consent to the publication of this paper. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The authors would like to thank all participants, the Dental Technology Sub-committee\u0026nbsp;of the National Vocational Education Teaching Steering Committee for the Industry of China, and all the organizations and institutions that participated in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eInformed consent statement\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInformed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLiu DL, Xie YF, Shu R. Statistical Analysis of Current Oral Health Care and Dental Education Resources in China. 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Eur J Dent Educ. 2023;27(3):614\u0026ndash;21. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1111/eje.12848\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1111/eje.12848\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-oral-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ohea","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Oral Health](http://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ohea/default.aspx","title":"BMC Oral Health","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Dental technology, Talent cultivation, Dental technician education","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8881048/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8881048/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground/Purpose: \u003c/strong\u003eAs China's dental industry transitions towards digitalization and high-end development, the question of whether the undergraduate-level training system for dental technology professionals meets industry demands has become a critical issue. This study analyzes the degree of alignment between the training of undergraduate dental technology professionals and industry demands through surveys conducted with higher education institutions, employers, and dental technology graduates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterials and methods: \u003c/strong\u003eA cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted from June to November 2024 to collect data from 27 undergraduate institutions, 68 employers, and 772 graduates nationwide. Comparative analyses were conducted of the three parties' perceptions of the job market, competency expectations, and curriculum design. Chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA were used to conduct inter-group difference tests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults: \u003c/strong\u003eThe three parties demonstrated high consistency in identifying core employment directions and evaluating the importance of core professional courses. However, significant differences were observed in perceptions of employment positions, competency expectations, and the importance of non-core courses (all \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.05). Higher education institutions emphasized theoretical foundations and comprehensive development, assigning higher weight to all competency elements. Employers focused on job effectiveness, while graduates paid more attention to practical skills directly related to initial positions, with a greater emphasis on career planning awareness than employers expected, but placed significantly less importance on aesthetic courses than employers did.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion: \u003c/strong\u003eThere are cognitive discrepancies among the three parties regarding the job market, competency requirements, and curriculum design in undergraduate dental technology education in China. It is recommended to strengthen industry-university cooperation, establish a stratified career guidance system, and improve a continuous feedback mechanism involving employers and graduates to dynamically optimize training objectives and curriculum systems, thereby narrowing the gap between educational supply and actual industry demand.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Bridging the Gap in Dental Technology Education: A Tripartite Survey of Higher Education Institutions, Employers, and Graduates","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-19 13:00:21","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8881048/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-30T20:46:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"127761623755822622894021581555936309450","date":"2026-03-20T07:49:31+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"53008949462657284134459279059425775506","date":"2026-03-18T07:38:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-17T10:25:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-16T11:12:26+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-20T10:27:43+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-02-19T17:09:54+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Oral Health","date":"2026-02-19T16:03:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-oral-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ohea","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Oral Health](http://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ohea/default.aspx","title":"BMC Oral Health","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"065098cb-d445-44b1-ab31-4231f63f276c","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 19th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-19T13:00:21+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-19 13:00:21","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8881048","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8881048","identity":"rs-8881048","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}