Perception of Dental Students of COMS-TH regarding Future of Dentistry in Nepal amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: There is a global crisis which has been led by COVID-19. The patients undergoingdental procedures and dental professionals are at higher risk of contracting this disease owing toaerosols generated and a lot of face to face contact during the procedures. The aim of this study was to know the perceptions of dental students of COMS-TH regarding future of dentistry in Nepal amidCOVID-19 pandemic.
 Methods: The present cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at COMS-TH, Bharatpur by sending an online e-survey questionnaire to 146 dental students out of which 99 responded. The e-survey questionnaire consisted of three parts which consisted of questions about demographics, knowledge about COVID-19 and their perceptions about future of dentistry.
 Results: The results of the study depicted that most of the students thought dentistry is good and noble profession and will recommend it to young medical aspirants. Most of them wanted to pursue post graduation courses in future giving preference to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
 Conclusions: The study concluded that most of the dental students were satisfied with dentistry as their profession and wanted National Dental Association to fix the minimum charges of each dental procedure. Also there is a need to start more post graduation courses in existing institutions providing dental education as most of the students want to pursue it in future.

Impact of COVID-19 on dental education- a scoping review

“…Among the challenges that will exist in the field of students’ academic and professional future were the followings: impacts on the future of dental practice [ 35 , 36 ], concerns and uncertainty about employment and stability of the dental profession in the future [ 37 ], and concerns due to professional responsibility and impact on clinical performance [ 23 , 38 ].…”

Health Literacy Status and Preventive Behavioral Perception of Dental Patients Regarding COVID-19 Pandemic in Selected Tertiary Hospitals of Bangladesh

“…The finding correlates with the another study conducted in Nepal, where more than half of the respondents (63.6%) were aware about WHO guideline regarding COVID-19 and nearly half of the respondents (49.4%) did not know about it. 16 Less than half portion of participants (45.6%) were aware and believed that following WHO guidelines can prevent COVID-19. The findings showed dissimilarity with another study conducted among US population where maximum (90%) respondents were aware about CDC recommended infection prevention measures.…”

Covid-19 Pandemi̇si̇ni̇n Di̇ş Heki̇mli̇ği̇ Öğrenci̇leri̇ni̇n Di̇ş Heki̇mli̇ği̇nde Uzmanlik Eği̇ti̇mi̇ne Bakişlarina Olan Etki̇si̇

“…Kariyer planı değişiminin nedenleri sorgulandığında pandemi sürecinde yeterli klinik deneyim elde edememe, sağlıkla ilgili kaygılar, finansal nedenler, uzmanlık sınavını kazanma hakkındaki endişeler gibi çeşitli faktörler diş hekimliği öğrencilerinin kariyer planları üzerinde etkili olduğu bildirilmiştir. 4,[16][17][18] Bu çalışmada da benzer şekilde diş hekimliğinde uzmanlık eğitimi planlayan öğrencilerin dörtte birinden fazlasının COVID-19 pandemisi nedeniyle kariyer planlarını değiştirdiği ve hastaları ile daha az yakın temasta olacakları bir uzmanlık dalı arayışında bulunmuştur. Ankette kariyer planı olası nedenleri sorgulanmamış olsa da, COVID-19 pandemisi öncesine göre daha fazla enfeksiyon kapma korkusu yaşadığını bildiren öğrencilerin uzmanlık dalı değiştirme eğilimlerinin daha fazla olması irdelenmesi gereken bir nokta olarak öne çıkmaktadır.…”

“…Literatürde, diş hekimliği öğrencilerinin kariyer planları üzerine COVID-19 pandemisinin etkilerini değerlendiren çok az araştırmaya rastlanmaktadır. 8,10,[16][17][18] Garcia ve ark. 10 COVID-19 pandemisi nedeniyle kariyer planı değişen ve değişmeyen öğrencilerin cinsiyete göre dağılımlarını kıyasladıklarında kadınlar ve erkekler arasında anlamlı bir farklılık olmadığını bildirmişlerdir.…”