Dentistry students’ self-assessment of their practical skills – a survey study

Introduction
Young dentist after graduation often have to perform a wide range of dental treatments without any assistance.

Objectives
The aim of the study was to assess dental education in different medical universities in Poland.

Material and methods
A paper-pencil survey was carried out among fifth-year students of dentistry in 8 medical universities. The questionnaire assessed a self-perceived confidence in clinical skills and evaluated the level of preparation for independent work in general dental practice. Each respondent completed the given questionnaire independently in the allocated time.

Results
Out of 500 participants, only 98 (19.6%) considered themself well-prepared for independent work after graduation. The students felt mostly unready for endodontic treatment with rotary instruments (79.4%) and warm gutta-percha (89.2%) as well as for preparing teeth for fixed dentures (77.2%). Most students felt well-prepared for direct filling restoration (83.6%) and tooth extraction (79.8%). About half of the students considered themself prepared for using a rubber dam (48.2%), making complete denture (58.6%), and teeth splinting (43.6%).

Conclusions
Dental students feel well-prepared for those procedures, which they repeated multiple times during their education. That is why clinical preparation is significant in the conditions of medical simulation for all clinical procedures, which young dentists will perform in their future work.