Abstract
Materials and Methods Fifty-seven final-year dental students in the year 2019 and the first edentulous patient managed by them were recruited for the study. A fourteen-item questionnaire was given to the students to assess their level of confidence just before commencement of the treatment. Questionnaire for the patients was used to assess their satisfaction both with the operator and the dentures. Clinical outcome of dentures was assessed using ten criteria. Results The average confidence level of the students was found to be 2.17 in a 4-point scale. A two-sample test indicated that there is a significant difference in the overall level of confidence between female and male students (p value = 0.004). Moreover, a nonparametric correlation analysis revealed that there is no significant correlation between the overall level of confidence of each student and patient satisfaction regarding student performance, level of satisfaction of patients regarding dentures, and the quality of dentures as assessed by the clinicians (p value = 0.545, 0.877, and 0.801, respectively). Conclusions Students' level of confidence in carrying out complete denture procedures is satisfactory. Male students exhibited a better overall level of confidence than female students. However, the level of confidence exhibited by the dental students does not predict patient satisfaction or clinical outcome.
Highlights
Developing competence in technical and clinical skills and building up self-confidence are considered important attributes of the graduate profile of many dental schools since dentistry is fundamentally skill-based health science [1]
Level of confidence of the students pertaining to the prosthodontic management aspects was assessed for each of the 14 statements (Table 1: student questionnaire) separately. e results revealed that there is a significant difference between the two gender groups in the median levels of confidence in relation to competence in gathering and interpreting information obtained from the patient, carrying out, reporting, and interpreting examination findings, knowledge to carry out treatment steps, practical skills to carry out treatment steps, and carrying out treatment procedures on their own without supervision
A two-sample test indicated that there is a significant difference in the average confidence level for the female and male student groups where male students exhibited a better overall level of confidence than female students (p value 0.004) (Table 2)
Summary
Developing competence in technical and clinical skills and building up self-confidence are considered important attributes of the graduate profile of many dental schools since dentistry is fundamentally skill-based health science [1]. Chambers defined clinical competency as the ability of the students to carry out clinical procedures independently which builds the bridge between education and practice [2]. Clinical confidence is the self-perceived ability to deal with clinical scenarios. It does not necessarily correlate with competency; it is a pre-requisite for students to be able to fully participate in clinical activities [3]. Improvement of self-confidence related to clinical activities is considered as an essential element in teaching dentistry [4]. Various authors have discussed about the relationship of stress and anxiety in relation to enhancement of clinical skills in dentistry. Dental undergraduates have to achieve appropriate levels of knowledge and skill as well as to improve good attitude towards patients they
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