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JKKN Dental College and Hospital
The third and final year dentistry represent a significant shift from classroom instruction to practical patient care. While gaining professional competences, students must juggle clinical posts, coursework, and exams. The purpose of this survey-based study is to determine the everyday academic, clinical, and psychological difficulties that third- and final-year dentistry students encounter. 200 participants were given a verified survey. The findings showed that the most commonly cited obstacles were theory-clinic balance difficulty and clinical workload, followed by patient management stress. According to the study's findings, time management seminars, balanced patient allocation, and good mentoring can all greatly boost students' self-esteem and lessen burnout.
As students progress from preclinical labs to actual patient care throughout the clinical years, dental education gets more difficult. While the final year necessitates thorough case management and clinical expertise, the third year introduces fundamental clinical courses like conservative dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics. It can be very stressful to juggle theory classes, clinical posts, and case submissions. Students also struggle with time limits, faculty monitoring, and patient participation. It is essential to comprehend these difficulties in order to enhance clinical scheduling, teaching strategies, and student mental health support networks.
AIMS
1. To evaluate third- and final-year dentistry students' everyday clinical, intellectual, and psychological challenges. 2. To compare the two groups' levels of burnout and stress.3. To offer methods for successfully striking a balance between theoretical and clinical elements.
MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES
Population of Study
Through random sampling, a total of 200 participants from our dental institution, 100 of whom were third-year students and 100 of whom were final-year students.
Data Gathering Instrument
Theoretical preparation and assessment stress
Faculty interaction & peer support
Mental and physical fatigue
Clinical workload & patient management
Questions
How challenging do you find it to balance theory and clinical work?
How often do you find it hard to complete case requirements or quotas?
Do you get enough clinical exposure to different dental cases?
How often do you feel a lack of confidence before performing clinical procedures?
How satisfied are you with the level of supervision and guidance from faculty during clinics?
How often do you face difficulty in getting patients for clinical work?
How challenging is it to manage patient cooperation during treatment?
Do you feel confident in managing emergency situations during clinical practice?
How often do you experience difficulty completing record work or documentation?
How do you rate your time management between academics and clinics?
How often do you feel stressed due to academic or clinical workload?
How often do you experience burnout or fatigue from clinical duties?
How often do you feel anxious about your clinical performance or evaluations?
What are your main sources of stress?
How difficult is it for you to maintain a healthy study-life balance during clinical postings?
What is the biggest challenge you face in your daily dental student life?
RESULTS
Dr. S. Gopi Krishna*, Dr. V. Karthika, Dr. M. Kathuri, Dr. G. Hariprasath, Dr. Selvakumar, Dr. Yoka, Dr. M. Hariharan, Perceived Daily Difficulties of Dental Students: A Questionnaire-Based Analysis, Int. J. Sci. R. Tech., 2025, 2 (11), 578-581. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17667857
10.5281/zenodo.17667857