How Well Prepared Are Dental Students and New Graduates in Pakistan—A Cross-Sectional National Study

Muhammad Qasim Javed (), Shazia Nawabi, Usman Anwer Bhatti, Sundus Atique, Mustafa Hussein AlAttas, Ayman M. Abulhamael, Daniel Zahra and Kamran Ali
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Muhammad Qasim Javed: Department of Conservative Dental Sciences and Endodontics, College of Dentistry, Qassim University, Buraidah 52571, Saudi Arabia
Shazia Nawabi: Department of Medical Education, Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
Usman Anwer Bhatti: Department of Operative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Riphah International University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Sundus Atique: College of Dental Medicine, Qatar University, QU Health, Doha 2713, Qatar
Mustafa Hussein AlAttas: Department of Conservative Dental Sciences and Endodontics, College of Dentistry, Qassim University, Buraidah 52571, Saudi Arabia
Ayman M. Abulhamael: Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80209, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Daniel Zahra: Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health (Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences), Plymouth University, Plymouth PL48AA, UK
Kamran Ali: College of Dental Medicine, Qatar University, QU Health, Doha 2713, Qatar

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: The transition of an undergraduate dental student to an actual practicing dentist is a crucial phase and ensuring the preparedness of graduates for the complexity and demands of contemporary dental practice is a challenging task. This study aimed to evaluate the self-perceived preparedness of undergraduate dental students and house officers in the dental colleges of Pakistan. A cross-sectional national study was planned to collect information from dental students and new graduates in Pakistan. The pre-validated Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale (DU-PAS) was used. A purposive sampling technique was utilized to recruit house officers and undergraduate dental students from 27 dental schools in Pakistan. The data analysis was carried out using the R statistical environment for Windows (R Core Team, 2015). A total of 862 responses with 642 females and 219 males were analyzed in the study. Overall, the clinical skills score was 30.56 ± 9.08 and the score for soft skills was 30.54 ± 10.6. The mean age of the participants was 23.42 ± 1.28. Deficiencies were reported in various soft skills and clinical skills attributes. The results highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of dental students and new graduates in Pakistani dental institutions. The findings may be used to further develop and strengthen the teaching and training of dental students in Pakistan.

Keywords: clinical skills; clinical training; competency; cross-sectional studies; dental education; dentistry; self-perception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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