Eliciting students′ perceptions of integrated clinical dental education in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the following research questions: (1) What are dental students′ perceptions of their clinical training in an integrated curriculum? and (2) What are the students′ confidence levels in performing routine dental procedures? Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 32 undergraduate students in the last 2 years of the dental program in April 2015 at the College of Dentistry, Aljouf University. The survey included 16 items that describe dental students′ confidence levels in performing various clinical procedures. Data were analysed using univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses, as indicated. Results: Students demonstrated high levels of confidence in performing routine clinical procedures, whereas the 5 th year students were more confident in interpreting radiographs, giving oral hygiene instructions, performing extractions and restorative treatments, as well as fabricating removable complete dentures. The mean confidence level among students in performing clinical procedures was 2.9 (standard deviation = 0.48). The mean confidence level significantly increased among the 5 th year students compared to their 4 th year counterpart (P = 0.005), while the effect of grade point average and number of weekly hours devoted to the study was not significant. Conclusion: In the integrated curriculum, our study highlights the importance of clinical training not only in making dental students competent but also in increasing their confidence in performing clinical procedures.