Reorientation of Dental Education: Soft-skill Preparedness of Indian Dental Students

Objectives: To assess the soft-skill preparedness of Indian dental students using a close ended self administered structured questionnaire.
Methods: The cross sectional study was conducted among 370 randomly selected dental students from four out of fourteen dental colleges in Delhi, India. Ethical clearance from IERB and Permission from respective Deans was obtained prior to start of the study. The first part of the questionnaire assessed demographic details followed by assessment of leadership skills and lastly explored the attitudes of respondents on a 5 point likert scale on various soft skills like communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, teamwork, entrepreneurship and professional ethics. The data were entered into a digital spreadsheet, Descriptive statistics were derieved and data was analysed using Parametric (independent t-test and one-way ANOVA) and Univariate statistics (Chi-square tests).
Results: Of the 370, only 315 respondents attempted the entire questionnaire, with a response rate of 85.13% and mean age of the respondents was 22.81 ± 2.392. Out of 315 respondents’ 192 were females (61%). Out of the 315 respondents 110 were third year, 43 fourth years, 107 were Interns and 33 were Post graduates. Most of the male respondents perceived that they were competent; compassionate, had better communication skills, ability to influence others, leading groups and managing difficult personalities. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean leadership attitude score and year of study. It was observed that communication skills, teamwork and professional ethics and moral values were significantly higher among post graduates and second year students. Most of the study subjects agree that soft skills like communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving, team work, entrepreneurship and professional ethics and moral values are essential during professional training.
Conclusions: Dental Profession has encountered tremendous growth in last decade, but questions are being raised about the soft-skills preparedness of students to manage patients and contribute in the system at large. Hence there is an urgent need to review current educational strategies and inculcate holistic approaches.