Investigation of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills of Dental Students towards the Principles of Professional Ethics

Background: In the health system, dentists form a large group of employees providing health services, and their professional character, including familiarity with the principles of professional ethics and their compliance, plays an important role in fulfilling the mission of the health system. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of the final-year dental students regarding the principles of professional ethics.Method: This descriptive and analytical study was conducted on ۶۸ final-year students of Aja and Shahed dental faculties in Tehran in ۲۰۲۴. The survey tool included three questionnaires related to knowledge, attitude and skills about professional ethics principles, whose reliability and validity have been confirmed. Data analysis was done using statistical and inferential tests via SPSS ۲۴ software.Results: The mean age of ۶۸ students participating in this study was ۲۴.۷ ± ۲.۲۳ years and their mean grade point average was ۱۶.۳۹ ± ۰.۸. The mean scores for knowledge, attitude and skill of students toward professional ethics were ۹.۳۸ ± ۲.۴۲, ۱۰۵.۳۸ ± ۱۲.۲۵ and ۱۵.۵۱ ± ۳.۶۹ respectively. There was a significant correlation between the age variable and the average knowledge of students (p = ۰.۰۱۶(.Conclusion: The findings of this study showed the moderate level of students' knowledge and the good level skill and attitude of students toward professional ethics principles. Due to the importance of professional ethics in the practice of dentists, it is recommended to pay attention to the topics of professional ethics in the curriculum of students.

Keywords:

Attitude , Dental students , Knowledge , Professional Ethics , skill