Bachelor Of Dental Surgery Students Research Articles

Comparative Analysis of Networking and Mentorship in Enhancing Soft Skills AmongDental Undergraduates, A Quantitative Study in a private dental college.

Introduction: The acquisition of soft skills is essential for undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students, enhancing their ability to communicate, collaborate, and adapt in the dynamic field of dental practice. While networking and mentorship are both recognized as valuable methods for developing these skills, their comparative effectiveness remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the impact of networking and mentorship on the development of soft skills among BDS students in a private dental college. Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative approach was used, involving a survey administered via Google Forms. The study population comprised 250 participants, including current BDS students, alumni, and faculty members from Liaquat College of Medicine and Dentistry. Data were collected over six weeks, focusing on participation in networking and mentorship activities, and self-assessment of soft skills development. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 25 to compare the effectiveness of these two approaches. Results: Of the 250 respondents, 64% participated in networking activities, while 48% engaged in mentorship programs. Networking activities primarily included student organization gatherings and professional conferences, whereas mentorship was mostly one-on-one. Participants rated their competencies in various soft skills on a scale of 1 to 5. Networking was found to be more effective in enhancing communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability, with 48% of participants favoring it over mentorship. Mentorship, although less impactful in certain domains, provided significant individual guidance and career support. Conclusion: The study highlights the complementary roles of networking and mentorship in developing soft skills among BDS students. Networking was particularly effective in enhancing communication and teamwork, while mentorship offered personalized support. Integrating both approaches into dental curricula can provider a supportive learning environment, promoting comprehensive professional growth. Future research should consider diverse sampling and objective measures to validate these findings. This study highlights the importance of structured networking and mentorship programs in dental education, benefiting students, practitioners, and faculty alike.

DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS AMONG DENTAL STUDENTS STUDYING IN MODULAR AND TRADITIONAL CURRICULUM

Objectives: To compare the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among dental students studying in the modular and traditional curriculum.Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among third-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery students studying in four dental colleges in Peshawar. Two colleges had traditional dental curricula, while two had modular/integrated education systems. The duration of the study was from November 2022 to February 2023. Data was collected using the DASS 21 questionnaire.Results: Among the 200 students, 100 were from modular, and 100 were from traditional systems. In modular systems, 19% had mild, and 16% had moderate depression, while 12% had severe anxiety. In the traditional system, 7% had moderate depression, while 22% had moderate anxiety. Stress was mild in 10% of traditional and modular dental education systems students. A positive correlation between the modular system was found with depression; P=0.02 and anxiety; P=0.01; a slight negative correlation between depression (P=0.02) and anxiety (P=0.01) was seen with the traditional system, while no association was found with stress. Conclusion: Students studying in the modular system have high depression and anxiety as compared to the traditional curriculum.

Patient-centred care attitudes and knowledge: a national study of BDS students in New Zealand

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes and knowledge towards patient-centred care among Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students in New Zealand.MethodThe study was a mixed methods cross-sectional national study of the BDS students in New Zealand. All 2021 BDS students at the New Zealand’s National Centre for Dentistry, New Zealand, were recruited in the study. The Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) questionnaire was used to evaluate the dental students’ attitudes and knowledge of patient centred care. The students’ perspectives on the BDS curriculum regarding patient-centred care were also collected. ANOVA and the Student’s T-test were used to compare the difference among the BDS years, gender, and background.ResultsA total of N = 277 (277/346; 80% response rate) students completed the study. Female students had higher scores than male students for sharing (difference = 0.19, 95% CI 0.04–0.34, P = 0.01), caring (difference = 0.15, 95% CI 0.01–0.29, P = 0.03) and PPOS (difference = 0.17, 95% CI 0.05–0.30, P < 0.01). Domestic students had higher scores than international students for caring (difference = 0.35, 95% CI 0.21–0.50, P < 0.01) and PPOS (difference = 0.22, 95% CI 0.08–0.35, P < 0.01). Three main themes of patient-centred care were extracted from the qualitative analysis of students’ perspectives: (1) Understanding of the concept of patient-centred care, (2) Perception of the importance of patient-centred care in dentistry, and (3) Perspective on the curriculum about patient-centred care.ConclusionMost dental students favoured a patient-centred approach. According to dental students, the patient-centred care component of their education should be increased.

Oral Health Related Habits, Knowledge, and Frequency of Dental Floss use among Undergraduate Medical and Dental Students in a Public Health Sector University in Pakistan: A Comparative Study

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate oral health related habits, knowledge, and frequency of dental floss use among undergraduate medical and dental students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken at two institutes, Sindh Institute of Oral Health Sciences (SIOHS) and Sindh Medical College (SMC) of Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU), Karachi, Pakistan, between March to May 2022. All undergraduate medical and dental students irrespective of gender, cast, creed, or socioeconomic status were eligible to partake in the study. The data on demographics including the age, gender, primary way of cleaning teeth, frequency of dental flossing, general oral health habits, assessment of knowledge of interdental cleaning aids etc. were recorded in a structured questionnaire. Results: The majority of the students acknowledged the importance of the role of students in promoting dental floss use among the community. Years of study in Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students was significantly associated with cleaning frequency (p &lt; 0.0001) and primary cleaning method (p = 0.001). Interdental cleaning aid awareness, frequency of interdental cleaning, issues from not cleaning the interdental spaces, the role and use of dental floss were all significantly correlated with year of study among BDS students. Use of secondary methods was significantly associated with years of study among Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: The present study concluded that years of study significantly correlated with the knowledge, awareness, and habits of dental students with respect to dental flossing. Keywords: dental hygiene, dental floss, interdental cleaning, oral health, dentist, medicine

Cardiff women: an inspiration to us all.

Cardiff University School of Dentistry opened in 1966 and remains on its original site which it shares with the University Hospital of Wales. It currently admits around 100 undergraduate students per year: 74 Bachelor of Dental Surgery students, 26 dental care professionals and 40 postgraduate students. Whilst the School's overall vision is for 'excellent, equitable dental and oral health through education and research', one of the key aims to reach this is an inclusive and welcoming culture which ensures equal opportunities for staff and students of all ages, ethnicities, disabilities, family structures, genders, nationalities, sexual orientations, races, religions or other beliefs and socio-economic backgrounds. This has developed from deeply embedded and ingrained beliefs common to the School that cultivating a diverse staff and student body enriches the student experience and encourages innovation in teaching and research through outward-looking staff.

Dentistry students' opinion toward Biochemistry course and its relevance in clinical practice in Chennai, India.

Biochemistry is a subject that is essential to understand the molecular basis of a disease, its diagnosis, and prognosis. However, study of biochemistry in dentistry at the undergraduate level is considered to be much teacher-oriented and the students show a lackluster attitude toward the subject. This questionnaire study is carried out to understand the perception of dental students in studying biochemistry and its relevance in dental practice. A pre-set questionnaire was sent to Bachelor of Dental Surgery students from first to final year and the responses were recorded. Although students are positive about liking biochemistry as a theory subject, still many are wary of the detailed study of complex reactions and metabolic pathways, which hampers the extensive study of the subject and its application in clinical practice.

Online education status at government and private dental college during COVID-19 pandemic in India: A comparative study

Introduction: Pandemic COVID-19 has spread all over the world very profligately in a short interval. This has had disturbed the main determinant of the future economics that is the education sector. India is a country with a vast number of colleges and dental colleges are a part of nurturing budding dentists. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the status of online education at government and private dental colleges of India during a COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study; conducted among the faculties of all Indian government and private dental colleges taking online classes for bachelor of dental surgery students. A pretested and validated questionnaire was sent to faculty members through a Google form. To assess the differences in perception among faculties of different colleges, the use of Chi-square test was done whereas descriptive statistics surveyed the frequency distribution. Results: More than 70% of faculty members both from private and government colleges agreed that tracking of students is difficult during online classes. A laptop was used by the maximum number of respondents, that is, government (77.8%) and private (81.5%) as the mode for taking online classes. About 50% of government faculties and 59.5% of private faculty members used zoom as an online platform tool for taking classes whereas others used the Google meet app for taking classes. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has paved the way for E-Learning in dental education in India. Faculties agree to complete the theory syllabus and conduct sessional examinations as an alternative during the lockdown period. However, they show strong reservations in carrying out practical/clinical simulations and university exams online.

Perceptions and challenges of a first-year dental student - A cross-sectional study.

Undergraduate dental training is demanding and rigorous, unaware students face a lot of challenges after entering the course. Thus, the study aims to find out from a dental sophomore the challenges they face during the first year of dental school. An e-questionnaire study was conducted on 932 second-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery students of India. The questions help us gauge problems and hurdles faced by a dental sophomore like information related to difficulty levels, laborious nature and so on. Chi-square test is to find out relativity and association between the variables. Pre-clinical prosthodontics was found the most laborious and a gender-wise significant difference (P < 0.01) was noted amongst females (437, 71.06%) and males (157, 49.53%). This study highlighted that students are usually unaware about the course, the type of content reading, learning, laborious nature of practical work and so on.

Perceived stressors of undergraduate dental students at an Australasian dental school

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived stressors of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students at a prominent Australasian dental school using the Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionnaire. All BDS students were emailed a modified version of the DES questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of forty questions: seven collecting demographic information, one free text question and thirty-two items related to various sources of stress, grouped into four subscales: 1) Academic 2) Clinical and patient related 3) Environmental and 4) Personal. Students were asked to rate the items on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from not at all stressful (1) to extremely stressful (5). Of the 314 students emailed, 165 responded to the survey (52.5% response rate). The academic subscale had the highest self-reported mean stress score (3.09 ± 0.68 (SD)); compared with the clinical (2.71 ± 0.77), environmental (2.40 ± 0.77) and personal (2.37 ± 0.68) subscales. There was a statistically significant difference (p&lt;0.05) in self-perceived clinic related stress levels between male and female students, with female students reporting more stress. There was also a statistically significant difference in self-perceived environmental stress between second- and third-year students (p=0.037), and in perceived personal stress between students based on their English language status (p=0.034). These findings can enable identification of students who might be at higher risk of stress to ensure support is provided for them; specifically, female students and students in their third year. Results also indicate the need to develop interventions to help all students with academic stressors.

Knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 among dental professionals: A cross-sectional survey

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an extremely alarming situation across the world. Researchers have identified it to be transmitted by direct/indirect contact through droplets from body fluids like saliva. Dental professionals are considered to be at high risk.Aim: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 pandemic among dental professionals.Materials and Methodology: A self-administered, structured, pilot-tested close-ended 21 questionnaire was distributed among the dental professionals (Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students, internship, postgraduates, and practitioners. Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) for descriptive analysis of the data.Results: A total of 513 participants completed the survey, of which 217 (42.2%) were BDS students, 64 (12.5%) were interns, 88 (17.2%) were postgraduates, and 144 (28.1%) were practitioners. Out of 513 respondents, 144 (71.9%) were males and 369 (28.1%) were females.Conclusion: All the respondents seem to have sufficient knowledge regarding COVID-19 and the adoption of World Health Organization and dental association guidelines. However, a difference in viewpoint was observed and the possible explanation could be the level of education and understanding. We believe that this survey may have reemphasized the importance of vigilance and practice by the dental care workers, in preventing the transmission of novel viral disease.

Awareness and perception of COVID-19 among final-year dental students, Sudan.

Background:Infection with COVID-19 has serious consequences, which may lead to severe pneumonia and even death. There is a high risk of infection between dental personnel and patients due to working in proximity while performing dental treatments.Objective:This study aims to assess the awareness about COVID-19 and its preventive measures among final-year dental students.Methods:Institutional-based cross-sectional study, among the final-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery students, the sample size was 288 participants during the period from August 8, 2020, to August 15, 2020. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire formed of a series of close-ended questions about sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge about COVID-19, prevention in dental clinic, and perception toward COVID-19. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science, version 25 (SPSS 20.0, Chicago, IL). The Chi-square test was used for the significance level, which was set at a value of P = 0.05 or less for all analyses.Results:Form 288 students, the average age (measured in years) was 23.31 ± 1.8. (means ± SD). A total of 224 (77.8%) respondents were females. For COVID-19-related knowledge, 282 (97.9%) students possessed a high knowledge level, 4 (1.4%) had moderate knowledge, and only 2 (0.7%) showed poor knowledge. Also, 95% of participants responded correctly with a total agreement to questions regarding infection control measurements, the least agreement response (85%) was for: avoid aerosol-generating procedures whenever possible. There are statistically significant relations between knowledge score and gender (P = 0.024), knowledge score and source of knowledge (P = 0.017), and perceived severity and knowledge score (P = 0.001).Conclusion:This study illustrated that the knowledge score among participants is good. There are associations between gender and level of knowledge, knowledge score and source of knowledge, and perceived severity and knowledge score.

Assessment of Dental Undergraduate Students’ Skills in Local Anesthesia Administration: A Longitudinal Study

Objectives: To investigate the quantitative impact of experience on competence in local anesthetic administration amongst final-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students. Methods: A Longitudinal cohort study design was employed. Purposive sampling was used to enrol final year BDS students and assess their competence longitudinally over a full academic year. The assessment criteria and scoring structure were reviewed during inspection of the institution by the regulator and the external examiner. Participants were assessed on four occasions, namely, after they had gained experience in performing 15, 40, 70 and 100 patient encounters involving local anesthetic administration. Results: A total of 177 participants who were assessed including 31 males (18%) and 146 females (82%). Assessment of the participants on four occasions provided a total of 885 data points. A chi-square test was carried out to test the hypothesis. Students in Group 4 with over 100 patient encounters were most likely to pass assessment, while students in 1 with 15 patient encounters were most likely to fail. There was a statistically significant variation in the proportion of ‘Below Standard’, ‘Meets Standard’ and ‘Exceeds Standard’ judgements awarded to students with differing levels of prior experience (p &lt;0.001), confirming the research hypothesis. Data on differential performance of students by gender did not show significant differences. Conclusions: The results of this study show a linear relationship between the number of patient encounters involving administration of local anesthesia and demonstration of competency amongst final year dental students. Over 90% students achieved competence after performing 100 patient encounters.

Awareness about medico legal aspects and Consumer Protection Act (CPA) among dental fraternity

Introduction: A dentist is a healthcare professional providing care for the patient, as a physician. There has been increase in the number of patients challenging the dentist’s authority over treatment planning and consent issues in the past few years. Thus, while providing the oral healthcare services a dentist has to follow certain set of standards in almost all the activities related to the management of patient. Failure to exercise such practice could invite litigation in the name of malpractice. Therefore, this study was performed to assess the level of knowledge and understanding relevant to CPA and Medico legal aspects that can affect Dentists. Materials and Methods: A self-structured validated questionnaire comprising of 15 questions related to medicolegal aspect and CPA was designed. A total of 150 dental professionals were surveyed. ; 50 were undergraduates, 50 were postgraduates and 50 were dental faculty. Chi-square test was used to compare the awareness of medico-legal issues among dentists. Result: The CPA awareness scores were significantly higher among faculty when compared with those of undergraduates and postgraduates. About 44.0% of BDS students, 84.0% of MDS students and 94.0% of the dental faculty are aware about CPA. Nearly 20.0% of the BDS students, 42.0% of the MDS students and 52.0% of the dental faculty know the legal procedures to tackle COPRA/CPA. Conclusion: Considering the present situation, a better understanding of CPA is essential for dentists in India to be on the safer side and an educational program would be useful to increase the understanding and confidence of dentists in any medical legal jurisprudence to avoid any lawsuit. Keywords: Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Consumer Protection Act (CPA), Dental Council of India (DCI), Master of Dental Surgery (MDS), postgraduate (PG) students.

Assessment of undergraduate students in tooth extraction competence- A cohort study.

The aim of the study was to determine the value of the number of patient encounters and tooth extractions on the competence of final-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students. Following ethics approval, the study employed purposive sampling to enrol final-year BDS students and assess their competence longitudinally over a full academic year. Students were assessed periodically on four separate occasions after they had gained experience in performing 15, 40, 70 and 100 patient encounters involving tooth extractions. There were 177 students with complete profiles completing the tooth extraction assessments including 31 males (18%) and 146 females (82%). The age range of participants was 22 to 24years (mean=21.92; median=22). The total number of assessment data points available for the four assessments was 1062. A chi-squared test was carried out to test the hypothesis that competence in tooth extraction increases with increasing exposure to patients. Students in Group 100 were most likely to pass the competency, whilst students in Group 15 were most likely to fail. There was a statistically significant variation in the proportion of "Below Standard," "Meets Standard" and "Exceeds Standard" judgements awarded to students with differing levels of prior experience (p<.001). Therefore, the hypothesis was accepted. Analysis of assessment results for differential performance of students by gender did not show significant differences. The results of this study show a positive relationship between the number of tooth extractions performed and competence of final-year dental students. Over 90% students achieved competence after performing 100 patient encounters. Although competence in tooth extractions showed a linear relationship with experience of the participants in this study, the data were collected from a single cohort of students at one institution. Further multi-institution studies involving several cohorts are required to further explore the value of increased experience.

Perception of BDS students of Kathmandu University on online learning during COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The spread of COVID-19 pandemic has gripped the entire world and caused widespread public health concerns, hampered economics and education system immensely. Online classes have been an alternative to give continuity to the theory classes. The objective of this study is to assess the various aspects of online classes and perception of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students of Kathmandu University (KU) during COVID-19 pandemic.&#x0D; Materials and Method: Cross-sectional, questionnaire based descriptive study using online Google form was distributed among the BDS students of KU. The questionnaire was distributed via social media. Frequency distribution of the descriptive data was done. Chi-square test was done to assess the difference in perception about online classes between the basic science and clinical science students.&#x0D; Result: 89% of the students had never attended any online classes before online education due to COVID-19 pandemic. 76.9% agreed that the online class is distracting. 57.5% used smartphone for seeking online class and medium most frequently used was Zoom platform. 70.2% students could ask questions, communicate &amp; receive response during online class. 55.4% students disagreed that online classes are more effective. Statistical significant differences were seen in students submitting assignments, communication and practical simulation among basic science and clinical science students.&#x0D; Conclusion: Online class can serve as an alternative effective educational tool. With more practice, system upgrading, capacity building of the student-teacher; it is bound to be more effective as well as efficient. The online class should be designed in such a way that student can focus and find it more interesting and should introduce various strategies to increase the interaction between students and teachers. Further, training on online class is required for both course recipients and providers.

Prevalence of Occupational Health Hazards in Dentists, Final Year Bachelor of Dental Surgery Students and Dental Assistants of Lahore

The burden of occupational health hazards in dentists, final year bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) students and dental assistants are tremendous. Developing countries have controversial situation about the prevalence because of inadequate facilities in rural and urban areas of each nation.

ASSOCIATION OF DIFFERENT TEACHING METHODOLOGIES WITH THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE ORAL PATHOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SHARIF MEDICAL AND DENTAL COLLEGE, LAHORE. A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Objective: The objective of this study was to do a five year retrospective analysis of employing different teaching methodologies on the academic performance of Third Year students of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) in Sharif College of Dentistry, (SMDC), Lahore. Materials and Methods: A five year retrospective analysis was done using the academic records of Third Year students of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) enrolled in Sharif College of Dentistry, Lahore. Batches were taught using the teacher centered approach, teacher student interactive approach and the student centered approach. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and all nominal data was entered in frequencies and percentages whereas all numerical data was entered as mean with its respective standard deviation. One way ANOVA was used to determine the statistical difference between the scores of the students taught using different teaching methodologies and Chi square test was applied for determining association of different teaching approaches and the academic performance of students. P value i.e., (p&lt;0.05) was taken as significant. Results: Academic record of 288 Third Year BDS students of Sharif College of Dentistry was done from the year 2014 to 2018 for the subject of Oral Pathology. There was a statistically significant difference in the academic performance of students who had tutorial and practical sessions along with demonstrations of histopathological diagrams (p≤0.001). There was no significant difference in the academic performance of students who had received either demonstrations of histopathological diagrams or had been engaged in student research assignments on histopathology (p=0.104). Furthermore, that the group who had received tutorial, practical and histopathological demonstrations was the only category with students who demonstrated an excellent result. The greatest percentage of students (21.2%) with poor performance in the exam belonged to the batches that were taught using histopathological demonstrations only. Conclusion: According to this study the teacher centered approach of teaching is an approach that the students benefit from the least. In order to improve the academic performance of students and to revive their interest in their studies, promoting and including active learning is of immense importance.

Awareness related to COVID 19 among dental health-care students and professionals of national capital region: A cross sectional study

Background and Objective: The Coronavirus 2 syndrome (SARS CoV 2) or COVID-19 pandemic's rapid and widespread reach has become a major cause of concern to the dental health-care profession. The goal of this study was to assess the knowledge among dental students and professionals about COVID-19 disease and related infection management practices in the region of Delhi-National Capital Region, India. Materials and Methods: An online questionnaire was created, and it was divided into six sections to assess the awareness with respect to the facts, diagnostic aspects of the disease, and its importance in dental treatment. Convenient sampling method was used for data collection. Comparison was done among the following four groups: Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students, Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) students, academicians (teaching in a dental college), and academicians + practitioners (teaching/not teaching but working in a private dental clinic) over a total of 500 responses for a period of 10 days. The data were coded, entered, and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 version. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, and percentages were used to summarize the data. ANOVA test was used to determine the association of study disciplines among BDS, MDS, practitioners, and academicians and practitioners. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The average correct responses among various sections among all groups came out to be 60.64%, with the highest score being 64.91% among academicians + practitioners and the lowest score being 57.45% among BDS students. Among the sections, 72.4% was highest (section 1: what is coronavirus) and 41.2% was lowest (section 5: diagnosis/tests). Comparison of the overall sections among various groups showed a nonsignificant result although some individual questions showed a statistically significant result. Conclusion: Dental health professionals need regular educational activities and training programs on infection prevention practices with respect to COVID-19 infection to serve not just their own practice but also to help the health-care sector in case the demand arises.

Dental anxiety in first- and final-year Indian dental students

ObjectivesThe study aims to investigate dental anxiety in first- and final-year undergraduate dental students in India.DesignQuestionnaire Study Setting: BDS Students in four University dental colleges in India carried-out during 2013 and 2014.Subjects (materials and methods)The students (n = 614) were assessed using a pre-tested questionnaire. We estimated the level of dental anxiety by using the Modified-Dental-Anxiety-Scale (MDAS). ANCOVA and Mann–Whitney U, and Chi-squared contingency tests were employed to analyze the extensive dataset acquired. Univariate clustering analysis and principal component regression were also applied. Students had similar demographic and lifestyle patterns.InterventionsAssessments of the level of dental anxiety amongst undergraduate dental students.Main outcome measuresMean ± SD MDAS scores for first- and final-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students were 12.96 ± 4.00 and 10.54 ± 3.41, respectively.ResultsSix hundred and fourteen (n = 614) students from four dental colleges were included in this study. In total 77% were female (n = 478) and 23% were male (n = 136). The mean age of the first- and final-year students were 18.31 and 21.54 years, respectively. First-year BDS students had dental anxiety score (Mean ± SD 12.96 ± 4.00) compared to that of the final year (10.54 ± 3.41), a difference which was very highly statistically significant (p < 0.0001).Conclusion(s)Dental anxiety was moderately higher amongst first year BDS students over that of final-year students but it is lesser than the dental phobic threshold level.

Comparison of case-based learning and traditional learning style in final year BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) students in paediatric dentistry unit lesson

The challenge in the present scenario for dental schools is how to improve the quality of dental education and training of qualified people. Case-based learning (CBL) uses virtual “trigger” cases to stimulate interest and generate the knowledge and skill needed in patient care and can bring the improvement. In the present study, 60 students from final BDS were included and distributed into two major groups (A and B) consisting of 30 students in each group. Group A was given didactic lecture and Group B was trained in the same topic through CBL. Pre- and post-test questionnaire was given to all 60 students before and after the training session. Intra- and intergroup comparisons showed significant difference in both the groups. CBL method showed more improvement in students than observed in students taught through didactic method. CBL simulates the clinical environment and encourages students’ clinical thinking more effectively than conventional teaching.