Impact of COVID-19 on perception and preparedness among clinical year Malaysian undergraduate dental students – A cross-sectional study

This study aimed to evaluate how quarantine affected final-year dental students' self-perceptions of preparation and assess how online training affected clinical students' education at SEGi University. Year 3 to 5 students (n=140) were asked to fill up an online questionnaire. The first part included the effects of online education experience between the academic years. The second section assessed the graduating class's self-perceived readiness in cognitive, communication and professional abilities. The Chi-square test was used to analyse the association between the groups regarding academic years, gender, and family income. Year 3 students missed educational experiences during lockdown significantly more than years 4 and 5 (p<0.001). In addition, 86% of year 5 students (p< 0.001) felt that online assessment was not a suitable evaluation method compared to the other clinical years. About two-thirds of the 5th year dental students were unsure of their confidence in their skills before graduation. Around half of the final-year students said they were unsure about starting their practice following graduation. After graduation, 80% of respondents preferred to spend a year in residence with sufficient training. Although students' self-perceived preparation was generally positive, they expressed reservations about the independent practice after graduation.