Assessing Clinical Dental Education from the Students’ Perspective at Shiraz School of Dentistry

Introduction: Apart from being one of the main objectives in the educational program, acquiring clinical skills is considered as a principle element of competency in a dentist. The aim of this study was to assess students’ viewpoints regarding the educational quality of clinical skills in different departments of their educational environment. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-made questionnaire, comprising of 140 questions designed for four dental departments of pediatrics, oral medicine, radiology and orthodontics. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the tutors and the reliability was more than 90%. Statistical analysis was done using one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, Tukey test, repeated measures MANOVA and LSD paired comparison test. Results: The highest scores belonged to activities such as class I & II cavity preparation, and the lowest scores were given to tasks such as pulpotomy and pulpectomy. In the departments of pediatrics, oral medicine and radiology, tutors’ supervision over students work and in the orthodontics department, students’ self confidence while performing tasks had the lowest scores. However, level of students’ theoretical knowledge, regarding the practical skills, obtained the highest score in all departments. Conclusion: Our findings confirmed that students have properly acquired essential clinical skills. However, they haven’t reached the desired level of competency in none-core skills, so they need to receive more effective education in certain areas.