Abstract
BackgroundThe quarantine associated with the COVID-19 pandemic forced dental schools to suspend their clinical training and to shift to distant learning methods. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of quarantine on the self-perceived preparedness of dental graduates and to explore the efficacy of online education from students’ perspectives.MethodsThe questionnaire distributed to dental students comprised of two main sections. The first part covered the online education experience, and the second part measured the level of self-perceived preparedness for a range of cognitive, communication and professional skills.ResultsThe survey yielded a response rate of 72%. The majority of students (77%) agreed that they missed educational experiences as a result of the lockdown. More than half of them felt less motivated to follow-up with distant e-learning and believed that online assessment is not a good method for evaluation. A high percentage of the students (66%) thought that online group discussions had a positive value while 67% preferred online lectures compared to theatre lectures. Majority of students particularly 5th year (78.7%) (p < 0.001) stated that the quarantine increased their collaboration with their colleagues. According to 87% of students, the experience most negatively affected was their clinical training. In general, students showed satisfactory self-perceived preparedness related to a range of attributes and professional skills.ConclusionsThe data showed that students partially appreciated the online system, whereas they did not consider it a substitute for face to face clinical practice. The overall self-perceived preparedness level was promising; however students had reservations regarding independent practice following graduation.
Highlights
The quarantine associated with the COVID-19 pandemic forced dental schools to suspend their clinical training and to shift to distant learning methods
No virtual sessions can duplicate the close experience with patients [1]. It remains the responsibility of dental schools to certify the competency of dental students while being flexible to deviate from the original curricular plan
The global disruptions caused by the pandemic guided us to a new perspective which would be to bridge the gap of clinical training, and to find modified or alternative methods to ensure that students receive the necessary clinical experience
Summary
The quarantine associated with the COVID-19 pandemic forced dental schools to suspend their clinical training and to shift to distant learning methods. No virtual sessions can duplicate the close experience with patients [1] In all situations, it remains the responsibility of dental schools to certify the competency of dental students while being flexible to deviate from the original curricular plan. Dental associations around the world have developed the frameworks for dental education to ensure the finest academic practice for undergraduate education [2] These councils define dentists as being scientifically oriented, professionally minded practitioners [3], who adhere to high standards of ethical and professional conduct and who can practice safely as a members of the healthcare system [4]. These criteria represent our baseline outcomes that cannot be compromised
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