Self-confidence in oral and maxillofacial surgery: a cross-sectional study of undergraduate dental students at Kuwait University

Student confidence in clinical competence during dental education

INTRODUCTION

Dental education blends theoretical and practical training to prepare students for independent patient care. This study examines the confidence levels of dental students at Umeå University, Sweden regarding independent performance of general dentistry tasks, and whether this confidence changes after clinical training.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Surveys were conducted before and after a summer clinical internship, with students rating their comfort levels on a scale from 0 to 10 for various procedures.

RESULTS

Results from 64 initial surveys and 54 follow-up surveys showed no significant difference in confidence before and after the internship except for performing a tooth extraction (p = 0.010). However, confidence levels varied based on whether students had practiced specific tasks during the internship.

DISCUSSION

Students felt least confident in managing acute dental trauma (mean 6.1-6.2) and treating cavities in young children (mean 6.2-6.7), while they were most confident in tasks like obtaining radiographic surveys (mean 8.5-8.6) and debriding periodontally compromised dentition (mean 8.2-8.3). Tooth extraction and dental fillings were the most practiced procedures during the internship.

CONCLUSIONS

The study concludes that the internship between the ninth and tenth semesters does not notably boost students' confidence in specific dental procedures except for dental extractions. This result can possibly be explained due to the short duration of the training. Further exploration, including input from clinical supervisors, is suggested to optimise clinical training in dental education.

Blended learning compared to traditional learning for the acquisition of competencies in oral surgery by dental students: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether blended learning results in better educational outcomes compared to traditional learning in the acquisition of oral surgery technical skills for 4th-year undergraduate dental students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy-three students participated in this two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. Only students in the blended learning group had access to the online preparation platform for oral surgery practical work (PW) on a pig's jaw and to the debriefing. Kirkpatrick's four-level model was used to assess the educational outcomes directly after (levels 1 and 2) and 6 months later, after the start of the students' clinical activity (levels 3 and 4).

RESULTS

For level 1, higher global satisfaction scores were found for students in the blended learning compared to the traditional learning group (p = .002). For level 2, blended learning resulted in an increase in knowledge score (p < .01), comparable to that observed in the traditional learning group. For level 3, students in the blended group made more progress in 6 months than those in the traditional group in terms of feeling able to assess and perform anaesthesia (p = .040) and surgical tooth extraction (p = .043). No difference in level 4 was found for the 6-month clinical surgical activity between groups, but students in the blended group felt more able to assess and perform the surgical management of a failed extraction requiring bone removal (p = .044).

CONCLUSION

Blended learning for oral surgery PW had a positive impact on three of the four Kirkpatrick levels (level 1, 3 and 4). Efforts should focus on the procedures that are perceived as the most difficult.

Evaluation of Self-Perceived Confidence and Competence in Oral Surgery among Final Year Undergraduate Students in Greece

OBJECTIVES

 Oral surgery is an integral part of dentistry that deals with the diagnosis and management of pathology of the mouth and jaws that requires surgical intervention. The aim of undergraduate studies in oral surgery is, upon graduation, to be confident and competent to treat without assistance surgical cases in the spectrum of general dentistry. This study evaluates the senior Greek dental students' self-confidence and self-perceived competence to undertake cases within the scope of oral surgery. Evaluation of clinical experience gathered during training and self-perceived confidence and competence in generic oral surgery skills is included.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 The present study was a questionnaire survey conducted during the academic year 2018-2019. The questionnaire comprised three sections. Section 1 included demographic data and four closed-ended questions concerning numerical data about procedures that they had already performed or observed, section 2 included four questions concerning their self-perceived competence to perform basic surgical techniques, and section 3 included 10 clinical case scenarios.

RESULTS

 One hundred and twenty-seven students participated in the study. Among the basic surgical skills, students were most confident with suturing, and they were least confident with bone removal. Students from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) tend to show higher level of confidence compared with students from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in most questions.

CONCLUSION

 Greek graduate dental students report moderate levels of self-confidence in oral surgery. A realistic approach in increasing self-confidence and competence in oral surgery would be the focus on preclinical training in generic elementary surgical skills, in combination with increased observational sessions of oral surgery procedures or outreach training.