EFFICIENCY OF DISTANCE EDUCATION METHODS IN CLINICAL EDUCATION OF ORAL SURGERY

Abstract

Background and Aim: The object of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of distance education on final year students of dentistry, studying oral surgery by evaluating the self-confidence of students. Methods: 5th year Students at Hacettepe University, Faculty of Dentistry were invited to the study. Participants were divided into two groups, according to the method of completing their clinical education, whether clinical practice or distance education. A survey with 25 questions regarding levels of self confidence on oral surgery was completed by each group. Mann Whitney U test was conducted since the normality assumption of the independent groups is not satisfied. The Shapiro-Wilk test, boxplot, and histogram were evaluated together for the assessment of normality Results: Participants who completed their clinical education with clinical practice showed better scores on levels of self confidence on the practice of oral surgery compared to the distance education group (p