Assessing dental students' professional training satisfaction with operative dentistry teaching and curriculum: A study in Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

BackgroundEvaluating students' professional training satisfaction of operative dentistry teaching and curriculum can help identify their educational needs and improve the quality of the education imparted. This study aimed to assess the professional training satisfaction derived by senior undergraduate dental students in Saudi Arabia from the operative dentistry course teaching and its curriculum at different levels and among gender.Methods A total of 193 (109 male 56.48%; and 84 female 43.52%) students participated in a survey. The respondents were at the 10th, 11th, and 12th levels of the Operative Dentistry course in a ratio of 34.2%, 32.1%, and 33.7%, respectively. Data were collected from survey items (18 questions) covering six areas: Learning Objectives, Course Materials, Content Relevance, Instructor knowledge, Instructor delivery and Style, and Facility and environment. Descriptive and analytical tests were performed using SPSS Software 19, with the significance level set at 0.05.ResultsA high level of satisfaction was seen among Level 10 (68.18%), Level 11 (79.03%), and Level 12 (86.15%) students. A significant statistical difference was observed among Level 10 students with a low-level of satisfaction and a high level of satisfaction (p<0.05). The percentage of satisfaction increased with the level. A high level of satisfaction was seen among male (78.90%) and female (76.19%) students, with a total satisfaction level of 77.72%.Conclusion Continuous evaluation and assessment of teaching and curriculum can be a tool to improve the quality of education imparted, especially in clinical courses such as operative dentistry. This helps to prepare the students for their professional life as healthcare providers. The role of teaching skills related to amalgam has to be reevaluated. It is recommended to include student representation and participation in course development committees as they are the final recipients of the educational process.