Evaluation of dental students’ feedbacks on clinical education practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dental education and investigate the dental students’ contentment and comment about the oral diagnosis and dentomaxillofacial radiology (ODR) clinical courses after the reopening.
 Materials and Methods: All fourth grade-year and fifth grade-year dental students who completed their ODR clinical skill training course were invited to fill out an online questionnaire.
 Results: Seventy-nine students responded the survey, 34 (43%) of students have satisfied with post-pandemic clinical courses and there was a statistically significant relation between the satisfaction and supporting by teaching staff (p=0.001). Students stated that number of clinical works were inadequate and there was a statistically significant relation between the number of patients examined and having adequate skill at patient examination and treatment planning (p=0.001). 33 (41.8%) dental students found online clinical courses satisfactory but 69 (87.3%) students preferred clinical skill training courses instead of online. 
 Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic dental schools must plan their clinical courses and make arrangements to allow the students to care as many as patients possible and education staff should be in close contact with students at each step of the clinical courses.