Dental Students’ Perception on Preclinical Operative Dentistry Course

Objective: To determine student’s perception on preclinical operative dentistry course in different dental colleges of Karachi. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted at three different dental colleges of Karachi .Total of 130, 2nd year BDS students participated. Specially designed questionnaire including demographics was used. This research was conducted after getting permission from respective authority and verbal consent from all respondents. Analysis was done using SPSS version 17. Results: Total 130 participants responded out of which 109 (86.3%) were female and 21 (13.7%) were male. The mean age of the respondents was 20.54 ± 1.037 years (a range of 18-25 years). More than 80% of the students reported that preclinical course helped them in understanding the subject, increased their motivation to gain knowledge and would help them in final year respectively.71.5% and 75.4% stated improved confidence and easier to work in clinic.60.8% and 33.1% found that the course was adequate and extensive respectively.54.6% of the participant perception was that every lecture should be accompanied by clinical visit. Reason to attend preclinical course included 35.4% (essential preparation for clinical dentistry), 3.8% just because of attendance. 81.5% of the students want to have structured manual of the course. Conclusion:Students showed positive response regarding preclinical course in order to increase their interest and to become a successful clinician. However, some revisions need to be made in educational methods and contents.