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Self-efficacy of undergraduate dental students574IntroductionRoot canal treatments are considered challenging and stressful by general dental practitioners (Dahlström et al. 2017). For the technical procedure of root canal treatments, quality guidelines are available (European Society of Endodontology 2006), and the skills to perform uncomplicated root canal treatments ought to be acquired during undergraduate dental training (Cowpe et al. 2010, European Society of Endodontology 2013). Although most general dental practitioners acknowledge the importance of quality treatment and perceive they are competent to conduct root canal treatments (Bjørndal et al. 2007), they tend to perform root canal treatment with inadequate adherence to quality guidelines and below the standard of care (Peciuliene et al. 2009, Peters et al. 2011, Kirkevang et al. 2014, Neukermans et al. 2015, Dahlström et al. 2018, Kirkevang 2018). It has been documented that challenging cases are being referred to endodontic specialists with increasing frequency (Neukermans et al. 2015). Self-efficacy refers to feelings of competence and confidence defined as self-assurance that you will be able to perform specific tasks successfully. Being competent is a prerequisite for self-efficacy (Bandura1977). Self-efficacy has a direct positive effect on performance (Pajares & Miller 1994) and is positively associated with making use of academic competencies (Zimmerman 2000). Challenging tasks are more readily undertaken by those individuals with higher self-efficacy (Zimmerman 2000). Furthermore, individuals with high self-efficacy exhibit greater perseverance and perform under stressful situations better than individuals with low self-efficacy (Bandura 1977, 2006). The performance of general dental practitioners when performing root canal treatment has been hypothesized to be influenced by their self-efficacy (Baaij & Özok 2018a). In summary, increasing practitioners' self-efficacy is expected to increase the quality of care. Research is lacking on the self-efficacy of general dental practitioners in relation to Endodontics. Furthermore, not much is known about the self-efficacy of undergraduate dental students. Undergraduate dental curricula are based on a list of competences that the student has to achieve to be able to work independently in a dental practice following graduation (Cowpe et al. 2010, European Society of Endodontology 2013). However, not all students feel confident after graduation (Murray & Chandler 2014, Davey et al. 2015). The aim of the present study was to understand whether the self-efficacy of undergraduates is associated with the extent of the endodontic education they Annemarie Baaij.indd 57 28-06-2023 12:26