Page 71 - Demo

Self-efficacy of undergraduate dental students694In the Netherlands, a 3-year full-time postgraduate programme in Endodontics, recognized by the Netherlands Society for Endodontology (NVvE), is available. In Denmark, possibilities to refer are more restricted since there no such programme is available. The present investigation further raises the question of the need for a formalized postgraduate programme in Endodontics in Denmark. The undergraduate clinical training should reflect the types of treatments that the students are expected to perform when they enter clinical practice after graduation (Divaris et al. 2008). Not only a certain level of competency should be acquired, preferably in simulation (Baaij & Özok 2018b), this acquired level of competency should be retained, and self-efficacy should then be built further. To raise self-efficacy, root canal treatments of lower difficulty levels on patients are preferred to start with. The number of available patients who need root canal treatment of a suitable difficulty level for the undergraduate students is limited, not only at AU and ACTA, but in many dental schools (Divaris et al. 2008). In an attempt to compensate for limited time and suitable cases, students at AU perform treatments in pairs. If peer students train in pairs, they reach similar level of competence as students who train alone and perform double the amount of treatments (Bjerrum et al. 2014). A similar effect of training in pairs could not be observed on students’ self-efficacy in the present study; the study was not designed with particular focus on assessing this effect. Although students at ACTA are not trained to work in pairs, they usually work with a peer while performing root canal treatment on patients. Future research should investigate the influence of training in pairs on students’ self-efficacy in Endodontics. The findings of the present investigation could be useful in improving undergraduate programmes to increase students’ self-efficacy in Endodontics. To further understand self-efficacy and how it is related to undergraduate education, it would be interesting to study the self-efficacy of students in other endodontic programmes as well. Further research should not only focus on comparisons of the self-efficacy of students between other universities in other countries, but also on other factors that might influence the self-efficacy in Endodontics, such as the possible effect of graduation and clinical experience outside the dental institution. Another interesting direction in this line of research is investigating the expected relation between the self-efficacy of both students and general dental practitioners and their performances in the clinic.Annemarie Baaij.indd 69 28-06-2023 12:26