Self‐perceived preparedness of undergraduate dental students in dental public universities in Malaysia: A national study

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Aims</jats:title><jats:p>To evaluate the self‐perceived preparedness of final‐year dental undergraduate students in dental public universities in Malaysia.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Final‐year dental undergraduate students from six dental public universities in Malaysia were invited to participate in an online study using a validated Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale DU‐PAS.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>In total, about 245 students responded to the online questionnaire yielding a response rate of 83.05%. The age range of the respondents was 23‐29 years with a mean age of 24.36 (SD 0.797). The total score obtained by the respondents was ranged from 48 to 100 with a mean score of 79.56 (SD 13.495). Weaknesses were reported in several clinical skills, cognitive and behavioural attributes.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>The preparedness of undergraduate students at six dental institutions in Malaysia was comparable to students from developed countries. The dental undergraduate preparedness assessment scale is a useful tool, and dental institutions may be used for self‐assessment as well as to obtain feedback from the supervisors.</jats:p></jats:sec>