Experiences of dentistry interns during the covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Aims: This study was undertaken to explore the effects of the pandemic period for students in the 4th and 5th years of a dentistry program who were completing internships through the Dicle University Faculty of Dentistry in terms of their health, education, and socioeconomic status. Methods: For this study, a total of 200 voluntary participants completing internships in the 4th or 5th year of enrollment in the Dicle University Faculty of Dentistry were asked to fill out a questionnaire that was created with the aim of understanding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on interns in terms of education, health, transportation, and socioeconomic status. In the statistical analysis of the survey data, a frequency distribution table was created for general characteristics and the chi-square test was applied to compare the obtained answers. Confidence intervals were evaluated at 95% and the significance value was accepted as 5%. Results: The overwhelming majority of the participants reported that the pandemic affected their general health, and almost all of them reported that they were worried about the future and that the COVID-19 pandemic had reduced the quality of their education and their academic motivation. More than half of the participants stated that they were adversely affected by online education and that they had difficulties in terms of transportation while continuing their internships during the pandemic. It was also determined that a relative or acquaintance of nearly all of the participants had been diagnosed with COVID-19, and nearly half of the participants lost a relative or acquaintance due to COVID-19. Conclusion: This study has revealed that dentistry students were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to a larger extent than expected, with serious consequences for their mental health, hopes for the future, and general enjoyment of life. We conclude that it is important to provide regular psychological support, academic assistance, and motivational programs for dentistry students, as well as support for all healthcare professionals in general, in order to prevent the problems that arose from the pandemic from becoming permanent.