Motivations for taking an elective course in two cohorts of dental students

Abstract

introduction: Health Education is an elective course of the dentistry career in the University of Buenos Aires. Objective: Compare the motivations for enrollment in an elective Health Education course in two cohorts of dental students, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 84 Dental students enrolled in an elective Health Education course in 2019 and to 80 students in 2023 to investigate aspects related to personal motivations for choosing the course. The questionnaire presented 21 items grouped into 3 domains: Social benefits, Personal benefits and Development of creative potential. The answers were registered through a Likert scale (1-5). Results: In 2019, 75% were female, whereas for 2023 was 81% (p>0,05). By analyzing the domains, in 2019 the first domain obtained a score of 6,33±0,32, the second domain 25,07±0,56 and the third domain 17,8±0,4. In 2023 the first domain obtained a score of 7±0,4, the second domain 24±0,7  and the third domain 18,52±0,43. Significant differences were found in the percentage of the maximum possible score for each of the dimensions (p<0,001). Conclusion: The evidenced motivations by the students for the enrollment of an assignment related to oral health care remained unchanged in the two periods studied