Should PGY-1 Be Mandatory in Dental Education? Two Viewpoints: Viewpoint 1: PGY-1 Provides Benefits That Support Making It Mandatory and Viewpoint 2: PGY-1 Should Be Available for Dental Graduates But Not Mandatory.

This Point/Counterpoint considers whether a general dentistry postgraduate year one (PGY-1) residency should be required for all new graduates who do not pursue specialty training. Currently, New York and Delaware require PGY-1 for dental licensure, while other states offer it as an alternative to a clinical examination for obtaining licensure. Viewpoint 1 supports the position that PGY-1 should be mandatory by presenting evidence that PGY-1 residencies fulfill new graduates' need for additional clinical training, enhance their professionalism and practice management skills, and improve access to care. The authors also discuss two barriers-the limited number of postdoctoral positions and the high cost-and suggest ways to overcome them. In contrast, Viewpoint 2 opposes mandatory PGY-1 training. While these authors consider the same core concepts as Viewpoint 1 (education and access to care), they present alternative methods for addressing perceived educational shortcomings in predoctoral curricula. They also examine the competing needs of underserved populations and residents and the resulting impact on access to care, and they discuss the potential conflict of interest associated with asking PGY-1 program directors to assess their residents' competence for licensure.