Abstract
Empathy in dentistry is the ability to recognize the patient's inner needs and sentiments during their visit and assist them in achieving a high rate of treatment success. Empathy has received little attention in the field of dentistry. Hence the present study was planned with an aim to know how first and final year undergraduate students value empathy and their attitude towards geriatric patients. Material and methodA cross sectional descriptive research was conducted among first year and final years undergraduate students. Self-administered validated questionnaires were provided through electronic media and information was collected. ResultsA total of 168 students participated in the present research with 103(61.7%) females and 65 (38.2%) males. Mean empathy scores assessed by Jefferson Scale was more among final years (77.20) in comparison to first years (66.25) and it was statistically significant. Kogan's attitudes scale showed more attitude score among first-year students (123.08) than fourth year (144.84). The difference obtained found to be statistically significant. (p<0.001) ConclusionThe final year students were more empathetic than the first-year students. Hence, educating the students on the importance of empathy from the beginning of their course, can become an integrated part of their approach to geriatric patient care and improve the overall quality of healthcare.
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