Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Clinical Practice among Undergraduate Dental Students in Tamil Nadu - A Survey

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had not only developed as a key challenge to public health all around the world but also instigated physical and mental constraints on the health care professionals especially on the education of dental students with the sudden switch from traditional teaching methods to e-learning platforms thereby shutting all means of clinical experiences. Aim: To assess the effects of lockdown on clinical practice among undergraduate dental students in Tamil Nadu, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was done among undergraduate dental students in Tamil Nadu, India, from June 1, 2021 to July 1, 2021, using convenience sampling method to yield a total of 510 responses for a self-administered online questionnaire that aimed at evaluating the consequence of lockdown on clinical practice. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0 was used to analyse the data. Results: A total of 510 responses (mean age 21.72±2.2827 years;323 female and 187 male) were analysed in the present study. Majority of the students felt that COVID-19 lockdown had a negative impact on clinical exposure. Inspite of following infection control measures, only 35.1% of students felt imperative to practice during pandemic. With over 82.7% of patient flow reduced due to fear of disease spread. 85.1% revealed being stressed in completing clinical quota in a short duration. Further questions on prospects in improvising their clinical knowledge;showed 45% recommending e-workshops, 29.4% opting for video demonstration followed by 22.2% on exposure to Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to compensate for the loss of clinical practice. Conclusion: New teaching protocols have to be adopted taking into account the changing aspects of the pandemic to improve their wellbeing, overcome mental stress and to enhance the sustainability of dental education. Focus on video demonstrations, lectures provoking their clinical reasoning, simulations on phantom heads and conducting workshops enhancing preclinical skills as well as following appropriate safety protocols must be implemented.