Dental students and recent dental graduates' perceptions of preparedness in treating pediatric patients

Abstract

Purpose/objectives: To survey potential applicants applying to advanced education in pediatric dental programs and evaluate their preparedness upon graduating from an accredited dental school. Methods: Attendees of a virtual externship of a University program were recruited to participate in a web-based survey. The survey collected demographic data, current levels of confidence with various pediatric clinical procedures, predicted confidence with those procedures, and number of procedures completed. Chi-Square and analysis of variance statistics were performed on resulting data to determine statistical significance.Results: Fifty-three participants completed the survey in its entirety (n = 53). Most respondents reported adequate didactic training, mean score of 3.6 (range 0-5) and a moderate to high impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on their overall training with a mean score of 4.9 (range 0-10).Current dental students reported that they are "not confident at all" (<2.0) for 15/24 (63%) of the procedures. Graduates reported "somewhat confident" (<3.0) for 13/24 (54%) of the categories. Both students and graduates report the lowest levels of confidence for managing dental trauma, invasive treatment of young patients (<4 years of age), and patients with special healthcare needs. Dental students self-reported the expectation to feel more confident throughout their matriculation; however, their clinical experience was still reported to be limited. Students did not report reaching the level of "confident" for 75% of the procedures. Conclusion:Dental students and recent dental graduates alike perceive themselves to be under prepared for practice and do not feel confident in performing pediatric dental procedures. This study can provide dental schools, program directors, recent graduates, and dental students with an understanding of areas where they are under prepared and could offer areas where curricula and clinical experiences could be updated or modified.

Undergraduate dental students' perceptions of dental pain in children – A grounded theory study

“…This would be a natural reaction in a small child, but at the same time it caused stress in the students who had not experienced this before. This finding is consistent with what has previously been reported, e.g., by dental students and newly graduated dentists, 30 medical students, 31 and by dentists. 32 It is probable that our education should put more focus on the child as a patient, The students also reported a perceived pressure to perform, which may reflect an assumption that treatments must be done quickly, where instead the child patient needs time to be well prepared before dental treatments.…”

“…This would be a natural reaction in a small child, but at the same time it caused stress in the students who had not experienced this before. This finding is consistent with what has previously been reported, e.g., by dental students and newly graduated dentists, 30 medical students, 31 and by dentists 32 . It is probable that our education should put more focus on the child as a patient, psychological development, and communication to enhance the understanding that you need other and more tailored strategies when treating children in comparison to adults.…”