Undergraduate Dental Students' Perceptions of OSCE in Restorative and Endodontic Department at University of Tripoli, Libya: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mohamed Hshad; Sumaya Aghila; Osama Sheneeb; Ahmed Nouha; Farida Alsayeh

doi:10.54361/ajmas.269633

Authors

Mohamed Hshad Department of Endodontic and Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2475-9176
Sumaya Aghila Department of Endodontic and Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1883-3516
Osama Sheneeb Department of Endodontic and Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1488-0501
Ahmed Nouha Department of Endodontic and Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6289-0588
Farida Alsayeh Department of Endodontic and Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0123-0356

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54361/ajmas.269633

Keywords:

Dental Education, Undergraduate Students, Objective Structured Clinical Examination

Abstract

This study aimed to determine dental students' perceptions of the fairness, their sense of ability, and the reliability and validity of OSCEs as a method of assessing clinical competence in restorative and endodontic departments, with specific objectives including comparing the perception of OSCEs between male and female students. This study involved a survey of 141 dental final-year students who had completed OSCE examinations. The survey collected demographic data and assessed participants’ perceptions of OSCE impartiality, complexity, educational value, and preferred frequency compared to other evaluation methods. All the data were recorded and subjected to statistical analysis. The level of significance is set at a P value of ˂0.05. The study revealed that while 52.5% of 141 dental students (87 female, 54 male) found the OSCE fair, 54.6% experienced high stress levels, and 56% believed external factors influence scores. The study found that while most dental students recognize the value of OSCEs in assessing their skills, they also raised concerns about fairness, time limits, and the potential impact of factors like personality on their performance.