Acuity of Dental Undergraduate Students towards Oral Pathology and Microbiology as a Subject and Profession - An Evaluative Study.

Abstract

Aim and objectives: Oral Pathology and Microbiology (OPM) is a branch of dentistry; the objectives of it have been underestimated by undergraduate (UG) dental students. Thus, the present study was formulated, which outlines the acuity of UG students toward OPM as subject and career prospects along with its gender-wise comparison.

Material and methods: An institutional close-ended questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 219 students including BDS IInd year (36), IIIrd year (42), IVth year (93) students and interns (48), aged between 19 and 24 years. The questionnaire comprised 13 questions related to students' perception of OPM as a subject along with its career practice. Data obtained were analyzed using Chi-square test (P < 0.05).

Statistics and results: Among all participants, 99 (45%) were males and 120 (55%) were females. On Chi-square analysis, we found that the majority of interns (87.5%) and 41.7% of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) IV year opined that the subject was both research-oriented as well as clinical with a statistically significant difference. Additionally, students from all four years agreed with the affirmation of career opportunities at cancer centres with significant differences and increased propensity for making Oncology Fellowship programs a prerequisite in addition to Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) certification. On gender comparisons, we observed mixed types of results and inconclusive perceptions.

Conclusion: The study revealed that students of a higher grade (BDS final year and interns) possess adequate practical knowledge and scope of practice of OPM compared to the lower-grade (BDS II and III years) UG dental students with a need for workshops and seminars in the future prospectus.