National Service Scheme (NSS): An Evidence-Based Approach for Enhancing Competency in Dental Education

The National Service Scheme (NSS) is one of the educational reforms started by the Government of India aimed at the overall development of students, especially in terms of social responsibility and personality. The present trial was undertaken to evaluate the impact of the NSS on the professional and personal competency skills of dental students in India.

A randomized controlled trial was undertaken among 84 final-year dental students in a dental college from Maharashtra, India. The participants were randomly allocated into the study group (exposed to the NSS) and the control group (not exposed to the NSS). A self-administered questionnaire evaluated the perceived change experienced in their professional skills (clinical confidence and communicational skills) and personal development (confidence, leadership skills, moral values, and social responsibility) from baseline and the exposure to the NSS program via global self-assessment test, then-test, and transition judgment. The mean of the groups was compared, and a t-test was employed.

The study group experienced a significant level of improvement in their perceived levels of communication skills, confidence, leadership skills, and social responsibility in comparison to the control group with p ≤ 0.05 for the global self-assessment scale. The transition judgment was also statistically significant for change in overall perceived confidence and leadership skills (p ≤ 0.05).

The NSS provides promising results in improving the overall perceived professional and personal competency of dental students in India. Thus, such kinds of programs can play a vital role in dental education in developing countries.