ABSTRACT
Aim of the study The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on dentistry education in Cluj-Napoca County, Romania, by studying the post-pandemic effect upon medical education and lifestyle changes of dentistry students. Material and methods We conducted an experimental study aimed at associating some of the factors related to post-pandemic situation in dental students: stress, social status, the way the COVID 19 affected study type and characteristics or clinical practice, lifestyle changes, if social life or way of thinking has changed after the pandemic. A self-developed questionnaire, in English language, with no private identifiable information was used. Participation was voluntary, answers were anonymous. Statistical analysis was performed using the MedCalc version 20.110 software. Results A number of 131 participants with ages ranging between 20 to 40 years (mean age=24.2 +/- 2.9) completed the questionnaire. There were participants from France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Italy, Norway, Romania, Syria, Tunisia, United Kingdom, USA. There was an impact of COVID upon studies, the following issues being reported: less practice, social distancing, lack of patients, online classes instead of on-site ones, missing practical activities, procrastination increase, time for study but lack of time to practice the theoretical issues, no hands-on experience, stress and panic, burnout, afraid of a potential infection in classes after the pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic did influence dental students' studies;studying dentistry and dental technology online is challenging;lifestyle changes have been noticed in the post-pandemic period.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND The process of online teaching and learning had an impact on both teachers and students;as a result, for the students who were assigned (confined) to staying home there were limited opportunities to practice in the clinic. The aim of this study was to assess foreign medical student's perception about the efficiency of the remote teaching method, and to investigate their opinion about implementing some online teaching features even after the pandemic period would pass. METHODS A questionnaire was created, providing questions related to social-demographic factors and 20 statements for assessing the opinion of the respondents regarding the online educational process implemented during the pandemic period. The questionnaires were distributed by email. RESULTS 459 answers were statistically analyzed. We noticed that students accepted remote lectures and other learning activities due to the higher risk of contamination. But among those who wrote an answer to this question, many would like to restart the classic activities as soon as possible, especially for the labs or clinical practice. We observed also a tendency to accept remote lectures, or a combination between online and traditional lectures, after the pandemic period is over. CONCLUSIONS Considering the results of the present survey, we can affirm that foreign students had an overall positive opinion about the acceptability and usability of online medical learning. Students viewed online activities as helpful, but as a supplement to their learning rather than a replacement for traditional teaching methods.