Science of Dental Materials as Subject’s Perception, Understanding, And Learning by BDS Students

Abstract

A better understanding of the Science of Dental materials as a subject depends upon theoretical knowledge and its clinical application. The multitude of teaching methodologies in the dental curriculum has been incorporated to determine learning outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to found the perception of BDS second-year students toward the subject of dental materials and evaluate the difficulty in learning and acquisition of concepts in this preclinical year. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 130 students of BDS second year registered with University of Health Sciences, Lahore. Pre-designed questionnaire was used as research tool to determine the students’ perceptions towards teaching methodologies and understanding of dental Materials. Results: Only 53.7% of the students reported DM as an interesting subject. Satisfaction with content was 90% and delivery and pace of the lectures were reported at 79.3%. Majority of the student (86.8%) reported lecture materials easy to understand. The most useful method for learning and understanding this subject is group discussion 76.15%, followed by PowerPoint presentation 73.85%. The favored mode of assessment was MCQs (80%) followed by practical lab 66.93%. To improve learning 82.3% of the students recommended group discussion and integrated teaching method (77.6%). Conclusions: The majority of students found Dental material a difficult subject. A better understanding of this subject needs improvement in already applied teaching methodologies with an integrated teaching mode