The Attitude toward Community-Based Education among Dental Students at an Iranian Dental School

Background: Dental students’ attendance in community fields prepares them to get involved in oral health promotion programs.  The aim of this study was to evaluate dental students` attitude toward education in community dentistry fields at an Iranian dental school. Methods: 125 dental students participated in a questionnaire survey.  The questionnaire included questions regarding students’ background specifications, their motives for entering dental school, students’ opinion about the  amount of acquired competency, and their attitude about educational experience in the community dentistry fields.  Results:More than two-thirds of the students (78%) assessed educational experience of community dentistry fields as positive. Students’ main motive for entering dentistry school was acquisition of social prestige. About 80% of the students described their acquired competency as average and high. Students with higher social attitude scores and those who reported more acquired competency were more probable to evaluate their attendance in community dentistry fields as positive (p-value=0.04 and 0.01 respectively). Conclusion: students with higher socially conscious attitude and those who reported more acquired competency expressed their community dentistry field's education experience as more positive.