Department of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, P.O.Box: 27272, Sharjah, UAE.
Department of Oral Medicine and Oral Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Sep 4;24(1):967. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05955-5.
Despite the increasing recognition of the importance of research in undergraduate dental education, limited studies have explored the nature of undergraduate research activities in dental schools in the Middle East region. This study aimed to evaluate the research experience of final year dental students from three dental schools in the Middle East.
A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among final-year dental students from three institutions, namely Jordan University of Science and Technology, University of Sharjah (UAE), and Oman Dental College. Participants were asked about the nature and scope of their research projects, the processes involved in the research, and their perceived benefits of engaging in research.
A total of 369 respondents completed the questionnaire. Cross-sectional studies represented the most common research type (50.4%), with public health (29.3%) and dental education (27.9%) being the predominant domains. More than half of research proposals were developed via discussions with instructors (55.0%), and literature reviews primarily utilized PubMed (70.2%) and Google Scholar (68.5%). Regarding statistical analysis, it was usually carried out with instructor's assistance (45.2%) or using specialized software (45.5%). The students typically concluded their projects with a manuscript (58.4%), finding the discussion section most challenging to write (42.0%). The research activity was considered highly beneficial, especially in terms of teamwork and communication skills, as well as data interpretation skills, with 74.1% of students reporting a positive impact on their research perspectives.
The research experience was generally positive among surveyed dental students. However, there is a need for more diversity in research domains, especially in qualitative studies, greater focus on guiding students in research activities s, especially in manuscript writing and publication. The outcomes of this study could provide valuable insights for dental schools seeking to improve their undergraduate research activities.
尽管人们越来越认识到研究在本科牙科教育中的重要性,但在中东地区的牙科学校中,对本科研究活动的性质进行的研究有限。本研究旨在评估来自中东地区三所牙科学校的最后一年牙科学生的研究经验。
对来自约旦科技大学、沙迦大学(阿联酋)和阿曼牙科学院的三所机构的最后一年牙科学生进行了描述性、横断面研究。参与者被问及他们的研究项目的性质和范围、参与研究的过程以及他们从事研究的好处。
共有 369 名受访者完成了问卷。横断面研究是最常见的研究类型(50.4%),其中公共卫生(29.3%)和牙科教育(27.9%)是主要领域。超过一半的研究提案是通过与导师讨论制定的(55.0%),文献综述主要使用 PubMed(70.2%)和 Google Scholar(68.5%)。关于统计分析,通常是在导师的协助下进行的(45.2%),或使用专门的软件进行(45.5%)。学生通常以手稿(58.4%)结束他们的项目,发现写作部分最具挑战性(42.0%)。研究活动被认为非常有益,特别是在团队合作和沟通技巧以及数据解释技巧方面,74.1%的学生报告说对他们的研究观点有积极影响。
接受调查的牙科学生对研究经验总体上持积极态度。然而,需要在研究领域增加多样性,特别是在定性研究方面,需要更加关注指导学生参与研究活动,特别是在手稿写作和出版方面。本研究的结果可为寻求改善本科研究活动的牙科学校提供有价值的见解。