Clinical Confidence Level of Pandemic Affected Graduates of Private Dental Colleges in Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63912/kjaise.v1i0.0003Keywords:
Clinical confidence, covid-19, dental students, dentistry, pandemicAbstract
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many challenges towards education especially in dentistry. Dental education is fundamentally a skills-based health science that requires technical and clinical skills to treat patients effectively. This study assessed level of clinical confidence of ‘pandemic affected dental graduates’ of private dental colleges in Malaysia, as a result of disruption in face-to-face learning by the COVID- 19 pandemic lockdown. This cross-sectional questionnaire survey was done among final year dental graduates from private colleges in Malaysia who were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire addressed clinical skills required prior to graduation. A total of 79 students responded from private dental colleges in Malaysia with a response rate 39.5%. with greater number in female respondents. The majority reported confident for fissure sealant restorations and topical fluoride application (82.3%), and three procedures had the same value (81%) examination and diagnosis, caries diagnosis and oral hygiene instruction (OHI) and dietary counselling. While very few perceived confidences in carrying out soft tissue biopsy (26.6%) and restoring dental implants (27.9%). The general finding was that most graduates perceived themselves to be confident in practicing the most fundamental aspects of general clinical practice. It is inevitable that these new graduates do not have all the skills required for independent practice as it is consistent with international reports that limited clinical exposure in advanced areas (surgical extraction, molar RCT, biopsy and implant) was considered the main contributing factor to student inexperience and lack of confidence.
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