KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE TOWARDS OBSTACLES AND DISPUTES FACED BY FIRST YEAR DENTAL STUDENTS

Abstract

Problems and disputes are situational demands and the individuals ability and motivation to meet those needs. During the first and second year of the dental curriculum, students have little time to process and learn the didactic material in a meaningful way because of the large number of required courses in the curriculum. If an outcome of dental education is to promote critical thinking, however, methods need to be explored to encourage this process in dental students throughout the curriculum. Reflecting on experience is the way learners "make meaning" out of the information they acquire, and "making meaning" is an integral component in the development of critical thinking. The aim of this study is to assess disputes faced by the first year dental students. A questionnaire was prepared and administered to 100 participants through survey monkeys – an online survey. The study participants included people belonging to the first year of a dental college. Before the start of study, a detailed explanation was given to the participants. Once the survey was done, data was collected and analysed by using proper statistics. From this study, the first year dental students are facing challenges related to communications, adapting to the extensive study methods. They also had problems with the language and during pre-clinical and also upholding their confidentiality. From this survey, it is evident that many of the first year dental students were facing problems even though being in this field is hard they enjoy knowing more about it and also being in this field.