Confidence Among Graduating Dental Students on Their Competencies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

To assess the confidence of graduating dental students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic's clinic closure and restrictions and again after their first year of practice.

Previously validated online surveys were sent to the University of Toronto classes of 2021 (n = 118, "21S") and 2022 (n = 120, "22S") at graduation and after 1 year of practice as dentists ("21D," "22D"), asking about their confidence in performing competencies of the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry. Analyses included demographics, mean values of Likert scale responses, independent samples t-tests for comparison between groups, one-way ANOVA for comparison between multiple groups, followed by post hoc pairwise comparison using Tukey's tests using statistical significance of p < 0.05.

Response rates were 43% (21S), 44% (22S), 30.5% (21D), and 17.5% (22D). Students (21S) were more confident than 22S (x̄21S = 3.67, x̄22S = 3.25, p < 0.01). Dentists were statistically more confident "practicing general dentistry" than when they were students (x̄22D = 3.71, x̄22S = 3.25, p < 0.05). There were no statistical differences between dentist groups "practicing general dentistry" (x̄21D = 3.83, x̄22D = 3.71) in this study. Within students (22S), males were more confident than females for "prosthodontic competencies" (p < 0.05) and "practicing general dentistry" (p < 0.01), and as dentists, they were more confident in performing surgeries (p < 0.05). For prosthodontics, students (22S) were less confident than 2021 (21S) (p < 0.05); however, after a year in practice, there were no significant differences between groups.

These graduates demonstrated a lower confidence in the competencies expected of a new Canadian dentist and after 1 year, there were no differences in confidence in "practicing general dentistry" between groups.