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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · European Journal of General Dentistry 2017; 6(02): 82-85
DOI: 10.4103/2278-9626.206374
Original Article

Professionalism practiced by dental students as perceived by dental patients: A questionnaire based study

Abdulaziz Alshahrani
Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Sciences, King Khalid University College of Dentistry, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Heba Mastour AlQarni
1   Department of Intern Dentist, King Khalid University College of Dentistry, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Ahmed Ali AlQarni
1   Department of Intern Dentist, King Khalid University College of Dentistry, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Rafi Ahmad Togoo
Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Sciences, King Khalid University College of Dentistry, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Syed Sadatullah
2   Department of Dental Education and Diagnostic Sciences and Oral Biology, King Khalid University College of Dentistry, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
3   Department of Diagnostic Sciences and Oral Biology, King Khalid University College of Dentistry, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Abstract

Background: Professionalism as a concept is complex and is associated with multiple factors including patients’ age, gender, education qualification, ethnic background in addition to their social, psychological, and economic status. Aim: The objective of this study was to assess patients’ perceptions of professionalism practiced by students during clinical practice. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was given to 215 new patients attending Comprehensive Care and Intern Clinics at King Khalid University College of Dentistry Campuses. They were asked to respond to specific questions regarding student behavior and communication during treatment procedure. Results: Results revealed that majority of the students displayed professional appearance and behavior. However, they need to emphasize more on answering treatment-related patient’s questions and doubts. Students and support staff need to make sure patients sign the informed consent form only after reading it completely. Conclusion: Results also indicate that dental students practice professionalism when they are trained right from the beginning of the dental program.

Keywords

Dental - education - professionalism - students


Publication History

Article published online:
01 November 2021

© 2017. European Journal of General Dentistry. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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